Cross the Line
by kuhlaine
Summary: Blaine Anderson has a lot to look forward to this year. It's his senior year at NYU, he landed his dream internship, and he got to spend the night with the most gorgeous boy he's ever seen. There's just one problem: Kurt Hummel, the gorgeous one night stand, is Blaine's new boss.
1. Chapter 1

It was a hot and sticky summer night on the eve of what Blaine Anderson was sure was going to be the best semester of his life. The air was thick with humidity, his typically gelled down curls were free, and the AC in his apartment was on the fritz yet again but he couldn't find the energy to care — life was damn near perfect.

Starting Monday morning Blaine would finally be in his senior year at NYU. He'd managed to cap off the last of his necessary classes for his theatre major during the previous semester, giving him a lighter class load for the upcoming fall semester. Just weeks before he was scheduled to head back to New York after spending his last summer in Westerville, Ohio he'd gotten the call that he'd landed the internship he'd spent weeks interviewing for. After two phone interviews and three in-person interviews at Sue Sylvester Productions, one of the most lauded theatre production companies in the city, Blaine had waited on pins and needles for their official decision. He'd managed to snag the last spot in their Fall Internship pool. It was by far the most noteworthy internship he'd be taking on to date — and the fact that it was a paid internship was the cherry on top.

Blaine and his roommate, Mike, had spent the majority of their final day of summer vacation on the couch, playing round after round of Mario Party before their eyes began to burn from staring so intently at the TV screen.

"Man, this is our last summer break ever. We're never gonna get a whole three months off for the rest of our lives," Mike complained as he rolled himself off of the couch and headed into the kitchen.

Blaine groaned as he peeled himself off of the couch cushion he'd been laying on, grimacing at the feeling of his clothes sticking to his sweat slick skin. He shuffled over to the fridge, pulling out the coldest beer can he could find and holding it up to his damp forehead.

"Way to make the future sound exciting," Blaine teased, tossing Mike a beer before closing the fridge.

"I'm serious dude! We should go out tonight or something. Make the most of our youth and all that jazz," Mike suggested excitedly, taking a sip of his beer and a bite out of a strawberry Poptart, earning a disgusted look from Blaine.

"Since when are you the type to want to go out on a Sunday night? And don't you have class tomorrow?"

Mike shrugged, taking another sip before speaking again. "My 8:30 was cancelled. Solid way to start the semester. And as much as I love kicking your ass at Mario Party I might die if I have to sit in this hotbox for the rest of the night."

Mike had a point. The apartment had gone from unpleasantly warm to sweltering as the day had gone by. They'd opened up all the windows, but the chance of any kind of breeze had been shot by the intense humidity. Blaine enjoyed going out for a night on the town as much as the average college student, and his first class wasn't until 2:30 the next day. Maybe getting out of the apartment for the night wasn't such a bad idea.

"Alright, what did you have in mind?" Blaine asked, cracking open his own beer and taking a seat at the kitchen table.

Mike hummed in thought as he shoved the last of his Poptart into his mouth. His eyes lit up and he whipped his phone out of his pocket, his fingers flying across the screen at record speed.

"Tina went to this place in SoHo that she's been talking about nonstop since last semester. They have those fancy drinks that you make with dry ice and aerial silks in the middle of the dance floor and stuff," he exclaimed, handing off his phone to Blaine.

Mike had texted his girlfriend, Tina, asking about said bar and she'd responded with a link to a website in record breaking time, their texts only seconds apart. How they managed to text so quickly without having their eyes constantly glued to their phones had been an enigma to Blaine since they'd first started dating two years ago.

"Mike, you do know this is a gay club right?" Blaine asked as he opened up the link Tina had sent.

He handed Mike back his phone, the website for Scandals, one of the most infamous gay clubs in the city, loaded on the screen. Blaine had never been to Scandals himself, though he'd been tempted to gather a group to go for his twenty-first birthday the previous spring. The stories Blaine had heard about Scandals were intense to say the least — the club was known equally for its outlandish drinks and unstoppable dance floor. He'd once heard a rumor that Scandals' themed parties lasted until 9 in the morning, though the hours listed on their website begged to differ. Mike had been right about the aerial silks — Scandals' dance floor was often occupied by fire eaters, silk dancers, and stilt walkers along with grinding bodies.

"Huh, well that explains why it sounds way cooler than a regular club," he said as he scrolled through Scandals' Instagram. "Dude, check out tonight's theme!" Mike exclaimed, shoving his phone back into Blaine's face.

Tonight's theme was "Gay Bar Superstar: A Journey Through the Gay Discography." The colorful poster was accompanied by several photos of notable artists, encouraging attendees to come dressed up as their favorite musical queer icon.

"We _have_ go. Tina has a kick ass Lady Gaga costume leftover from last Halloween!" Before Blaine could respond Mike had already grabbed back his phone and was typing away at lightning speed. "She's on board, and so is Brittany," he said with a smile, setting his phone down in triumph.

"This sounds great, but I'm pretty sure neither of us have Lady Gaga costumes lying around and we don't exactly have time to put outfits together," Blaine replied, glancing towards the clock on the wall. Scandals typically opened its doors around 7pm, and it was already nearly 5.

Mike hummed once again, snapping his fingers before rushing into his room. Blaine followed behind him in confusion, ducking as a pair of jeans went flying through the air.

"Ah-ha!" Mike exclaimed, rushing out of his room, holding up a bright flower patterned suit. "I knew I'd find something this suit would be good for eventually."

"And who would you be exactly?" Blaine asked with a raised brow, crossing his arms.

Mike shrugged, pulling on the patterned suit jacket and giving Blaine a twirl. "Harry Styles. Or Elton John, whichever floats your boat," he said with a wink.

Blaine rolled his eyes. He had to admit, while not his usual style the suit did look great on Mike.

"Well this still leaves me without a costume. And no, I won't be the David to your Elton," Blaine warned, Mike's parted lips melting into a frown.

"You're no fun. But challenge accepted. There's no way you don't have something in your closet that'll work. Maybe there's something buried under all of the bowties." Mike headed straight for Blaine's room, opening up Blaine's closet without waiting for permission.

"Rude!" Blaine called out, tossing his empty can at Mike's head with a sigh. There was no turning back now — once Mike had a plan it was impossible to talk him out of it. Just like that Blaine's plan for a relaxing Sunday evening had gone out the window.

* * *

As much as Blaine hated to admit it, Mike was right. Buried beneath a stack of folded polos and a box of bow ties Mike had found a pair of acid wash jeans that, when paired with a spare white wife beater shirt, made the perfect Freddie Mercury costume. He'd finished off the look with a studded belt, and Tina had even been kind enough to put together a black armband to bring the look completely together.

Tina had tottered into their apartment in six-inch heels wearing an impressive replica of Lady Gaga's infamous meat dress. Tina's roommate, Brittany, had gone for an elaborate and colorful costume that she described as "unicorn chic" complete with an obscene amount of glitter.

"I tried to get her to go with something more in theme but she insisted," Tina whispered to Blaine out of the corner of her mouth.

Blaine and Mike tried not to think about how long it would take them to clean all of the glitter Brittany was shedding off of their floors, choosing instead to crack open the bottle of tequila they'd grabbed from their corner bodega for the occasion.

"Mix it with this! I call it Bicorn Brew," Brittany said with a wink, pulling a flask from her hot pink fanny pack.

She poured everyone a shot of tequila, adding in a splash of the drink from her flask. Mike shot Blaine a wary look when their tequila turned neon green with the addition of Brittany's "brew."

"On three!" Brittany said excitedly before anyone could protest, holding her own glass high.

The group lifted up their cups, all knocking back their drinks on the count of three. Tina, Mike, and Blaine each released their own sound of disgust at the vile taste in their mouths. Brittany licked her lips, smacking them once before taking a swig directly out of her flask.

"Britt, what was that?!" Tina asked as she ran over to the sink to pour herself a glass of water. Brittany's special addition had made the already bitter tequila burn with an overpowering sugary sweetness as it slid down your throat. It somehow managed to taste sickeningly sweet and burn like hell at the same time.

"I dissolved some green Skittles in vodka," Brittany replied with a satisfied smile.

"So you just mixed vodka with tequila?" Mike questioned, swiping Tina's glass of water and knocking back the rest of it.

"And Skittles, duh," Brittany corrected, rolling her eyes as she poured some tequila directly into her flask of "Bicorn Brew." "Anyone want anymore?" she offered, holding up the flask.

Everyone quickly shook their head. Brittany shrugged. "More for me."

With the help of Brittany's concoction everyone felt warmed up enough to head out for their night on the town quicker than usual. Blaine usually needed at least two drinks in him before he felt comfortable in clubs — but he had to admit, Brittany's Bicorn Brew had done the trick.

The group clamored onto the A train, everyone laughing just a bit too hard at each other's jokes as the effects of their pregame drinks began to kick in. By the time their train had rumbled down from Washington Heights to SoHo Blaine's blood was thrumming with the need to let loose.

As Blaine had suspected, the line to get in to Scandals wrapped around the block. The group took their place at the back of the line, pouting at the abrupt pause on their night, hoping the buzz of their earlier drinks didn't fade away before they could get inside. Tina leaned over to whisper something into Mike's ear. He raised an eyebrow at her, the two sharing a knowing smile.

"We'll be right back," Mike announced, grabbing Tina's hand and leaving Brittany and Blaine alone in the line.

"Where are they going?" Blaine asked as he watched the two run off towards the front of the line at the end of the block.

"Probably to make out," Brittany said with a shrug, adjusting her askew unicorn horn.

Blaine pushed that visual aside as he turned to help Brittany with her horn. The two made small talk while they waited for Mike and Tina to return. Blaine had only met Tina's eccentric roommate a handful of times. The two had met through Mike, who had met Brittany at a dance workshop during the summer after his freshman year at NYU. The two had struck up a friendship, Mike learning that Brittany was studying dance at Barnard after dropping out of MIT two weeks into her first semester. Brittany had complained about trying to find a roommate for an off-campus apartment and he'd linked her to Tina.

Tina, who was studying Psychology at Columbia, turned out to be the perfect match for Brittany and the two found themselves a quaint two bedroom in Morningside Heights. Their friendship had always puzzled Blaine — he didn't know Brittany very well, but he didn't see how someone as high strung as Tina could so easily get along with someone as free-spirited as Brittany. Regardless, Brittany was nice, threw amazing parties, and almost never frowned, which made her a winner in Blaine's book.

Their friendly debate on the best type of dinosaur was disrupted by a jubilant Mike and Tina running back towards them, practically bouncing with giddiness as they started pulling Blaine and Brittany from the line.

"C'mon, we got us in!" Mike exclaimed, tugging Blaine so hard he nearly tripped over himself as they ran towards the front of the line.

"What?! How?"

"Mike showed the bouncer his abs," Tina said with a wink.

"They _are_ great abs," Brittany mused.

Those at the front of the line booed and jeered as the four were let into the club with just quick, half-hearted glances at their IDs, Blaine's cheek reddening at the commotion they'd caused. Any guilt he'd felt about cutting the line melted away the second they stepped through Scandals' doors. The bass of an upbeat pop remix was pounding so strongly Blaine could feel it beneath his feet, growing stronger with every step they took inside. The walls were lined with posters, articles, and photographs dedicated to queer artistry, kept safe behind ornate frames. Glitter coated the floor, layers upon layers crusted deep into the cracks of the ground, impossible to discern between the old and the new.

The group was only able to take a handful of steps into the club as a unit, eventually having to break off just to be able to navigate through the throngs of tightly packed bodies. Tina held tightly onto Mike's hand as she guided him straight for the dance floor. Blaine briefly found himself alone, surrounded by grinding couples, only for Brittany to reach out and loop her arm through his.

"We're gonna need another drink," she yelled into his ear over the blaring music before tugging him towards the bar.

A small crowd had gathered around the bar, situated in the center of the dance floor. Brittany, pushy and petite, managed to slide her way to the front of the waiting crowd.

"What do you want?" she called out to Blaine from her place at the counter.

"Surprise me," he called back, Brittany giving him a thumbs up before turning back to the heavily tattooed bartender.

Blaine took a moment to observe the dance floor. Most of the dancers had paired off into couples - mostly twosomes, but there were a handful of threesomes - grinding as closely as possible to one another, all while carefully dodging the various performers around them. Most people had decided to keep in theme, he saw a handful of elaborate Boy Georges and George Michaels scattered across the room. Others were decked out in elaborate bondage gear that Blaine found both intimidating and slightly arousing.

The song shifted to a remix of Lady Gaga's Love Game — and Blaine's eyes were drawn in instantly by a boy just a few feet away. His eyes were closed as he swayed in perfect time to the beat of the music, dancing against the air so smoothly he looked more like a projection than a person. He shifted into the light, Blaine stepping forward to get a better look at him. His chestnut hair was tinged with flicks of red to compliment his costume: Ziggy Stardust. His face was covered in a thin layer of sweat and glitter but his makeup remained pristine. Blaine didn't know what to focus on — his flawless porcelain skin, or his seemingly never ending legs, covered by sinfully tight black leather pants. To say he was absolutely stunning would be an understatement.

"Surprise!" Brittany's arrival snapped Blaine out of his lovestruck daze. She handed him a bright yellow drink with a green umbrella that smelled strongly of coconut.

"What is this?" Blaine asked as he took a tentative sip, pleased to find that it tasted significantly better than Brittany's first surprise drink.

"Not sure. Someone gave me these for free," Brittany explained, holding up the other two drinks she held in her hand.

"Doesn't that seem a little dangerous?" Blaine questioned, suddenly wary about the safety of his drink.

Brittany shrugged, turning back towards the bar and waving her pinky towards someone.

"I don't think so. She was really nice. And pretty."

Blaine leaned up on his tiptoes to catch a glance of Brittany's admirer. A Latina woman in a skin-tight leather police officer costume blew Brittany a kiss from her place on a stool at the bar.

"Is she dressed up as a cop?" Blaine asked, breaking Brittany's moon-eyed stupor.

"She's Demi Lovato's Halloween costume," she replied as if it was common sense.

Blaine took a second cautious sip of his drink. The woman seemed harmless enough, but he made a note to sip slowly and keep an eye on Brittany. It was then that he noticed the imprint of a kiss on the edge of Brittany's jaw that just so happened to be the same shade of ruby red as the woman at the bars lipstick.

"She said she knows the bartender so she gets free drinks whenever she wants. She said if I give her one dance she'll let me get free drinks too!" Brittany took a long sip of the drink in her right hand, draining nearly half of it one go. She winced, shoving the drink into Blaine's free hand. "Brain freeze," she mumbled as she rubbed at her forehead.

Even brain freeze couldn't keep Brittany down. She grabbed back her drink once she'd recovered, downing the rest of it one gulp before making her way back to the woman at the bar, leaving Blaine and his half-finished drink behind. Blaine shrugged to himself. He knew Mike and Tina would pair off early in the night, but he hadn't expected to lose Brittany as a companion within the first twenty minutes of the night. He took her lead, finishing off the last of his mysterious coconut drink, setting the glass on a nearby table before making his way towards the dance floor.

Thankfully Blaine wasn't the only lone ranger. Plenty of people danced to the beat of the music on their own, some getting scooped up along the way by other dancers. His buzz was back and stronger than ever as he allowed himself to sway calmly to the music, eyes scanning the crowd for the beautiful boy from earlier. He spotted him in the center of a cluster of couples, eyes still closed and moving on his own in perfect harmony with the music. Blaine made a beeline for him, doing his best to stop and enjoy the music on his own, hoping he wouldn't come off as predatory or creepy.

His heart was pounding against his chest as he finally made it to the ring of couples surrounding the boy. He attempted to slide past one couple, both dressed in drag, only to get pulled in by the taller of the two, trapped between them as they continued to sway against one another. Blaine laughed, taking a moment or two before he matched their rhythm. The two were excellent dancers — not nearly as entrancing as the beautiful boy, but they were fun and energetic and continued pulling people into their group until it had become a tangled mess of sweaty bodies.

The group eventually became a bit too crowded, Blaine breaking off slightly in hopes of getting some air outside of their cluster. He closed his eyes for the briefest moment, allowing the music to soak into his skin as he felt another body glide perfectly against his. He peeked beneath his lashes, eyes widening when he realized that the beautiful boy had graced him with his presence.

The boy grinded his hips against the air, just inches from brushing against Blaine's own rotating hips. He was close enough that Blaine could feel the heat radiating off of his body, but just far enough their bodies only nearly brushed against each other. Blaine bit back an enormous smile, attempting to keep his mind on the music, lest he lose the boys interest with his distracted dancing. The two continued their dance, close but never close enough, for two songs, unbothered by those around them, never letting any other dancers come between them or distract them.

They slid seamlessly into their third song, the boys hip gliding towards Blaine, and finally he couldn't help himself. Blaine reached out to rest his palm against the boys waist, gently, afraid that he would pull away and break the magic of the moment. The corner of the boys lips turned up just slightly, peeking up at Blaine from beneath thick, full lashes speckled with flecks of gold and glitter. His hips slid forward with more force, brushing just the slightest bit against Blaines. He inhaled sharply, not realizing just how desperately he'd been craving the contact until he'd been teased with it.

He decided to test the waters even further, leaning in to the boys ears, his breath warm against his skin.

"Has someone already told you you're the most beautiful person here?"

It was a bold opening line, especially for Blaine. He was typically more timid when it came to approaching men. The handful of hookups he'd experienced had all been initiated by the other person. Not that Blaine's attempts at flirting were failures — but he often had trouble finding the confidence to make his intentions clear. Maybe it was the free drinks, or the pulsing music, or the intoxicating way that this boy managed to move as though no one else was watching that made Blaine's body practically vibrate with the need to be as close as possible to this magnetic person.

The boy laughed, quite possibly the most beautiful sound Blaine had ever heard. He had three years of studying theatre and music under his belt and he had still never encountered a melody as sweet and high and breathy as the sound of this boy.

"No, you're the first. Congratulations," he teased, never stilling his hips, encouraging Blaine to continue moving with him by grinding just the slightest bit closer to him.

"It's an honor," Blaine replied, happy to continue dancing with him, now even closer than before. "I'm Blaine," he offered, this time not making the mistake of pausing his movements.

"Nice name," the boy responded, but said nothing else. Blaine bit back a frown.

"Do I get to know your name?" he tried, attempting not to seem too eager.

The boy slowed down his movements, pursing his lips in thought, humming quietly.

"You can, if you buy me a drink," he offered with a cheeky grin.

Blaine lit up, his eyes shining brighter than the disco ball above them. "It'd be my pleasure," he replied, offering up his hand to guide the boy away from the crowds.

The boy slid his hand into Blaine's, his warm, soft palm sending a jolt throughout Blaine's body. If the quiet gasp the boy let out as their palms touched was any indication, he'd felt it too. Blaine carefully pulled him off the dance floor and towards the bar, grinning victoriously as the boy shrugged off several suitors that approached him along the way. Blaine caught sight of Mike and Tina, engaged in a passionate make out session on the opposite side of the bar, but he had lost sight of Brittany and her seductive new friend. He frowned — as much as he wanted to focus all of his attention on the beautiful boy he'd have to take some time to track down Brittany soon.

"What'll it be?" Blaine asked, leaning in just a bit closer than necessary to the other boys ear, smiling when he leaned in closer to him.

"Pineapple sunrise," he answered, Blaine's brow furrowing.

"I… I don't know if they have that here," he replied nervously. He'd never heard of a "pineapple sunrise" before, and it didn't look like it was listed anywhere on the bars cocktail menu.

"It's my specialty. They'll know when you order it," he assured.

Blaine was taken aback. The boy had come here often enough to have his own custom drink. He didn't seem like the type to be Scandals regular, but then again, Blaine really knew nothing about him. Everything he thought he knew about him was the product of letting his imagination run wild.

"And how do I know that I'm not helping some underage kid get a free drink?" Blaine asked with a raised brow. He was fairly confident that the boy was over 21, but it didn't hurt to be safe.

The boy rolled his eyes teasingly, reaching into his back pocket and pulling out a driver's license, carefully concealing his name with his finger. Blaine smiled as he noticed it was the same Ohio state drivers license he had in his own back pocket. He scanned the birth date — he was 22, just a year older than Blaine. He wondered if their paths had crossed at some point in Ohio, but he was sure he would've remembered seeing someone as stunning as this boy somewhere as drab and bleak as Ohio.

"Twenty-two, practically an old man," Blaine teased before turning back to the bleach blonde bartender. He ordered the boys 'signature' drink, ordering one for himself to see what exactly it was, the bartender leaning over to shoot the boy a wave.

"Hey Kurt!" the bartender called out before quickly turning back to the bar to prepare their drinks.

Blaine's brows shot up as he turned back to the boy — Kurt.

"Kurt, huh?"

Kurt groaned, leaning towards the bar and smacking down on the counter until the bartender turned back around.

"Way to ruin my cover, Sam!" he shouted to the bartender as he returned with their drinks.

"Sorry dude, I didn't realize you used an alter ego here," he said with a shrug before turning to his other waiting customers.

Kurt sulked for a moment, taking a sip of his drink — Blaine realizing he'd never handed over his credit card to pay for them — before returning back to high spirits. He handed Blaine his own drink, waiting expectantly for him to try his custom cocktail. Blaine took a sip of the bright yellow beverage, smiling at the refreshing, fruity flavor that danced on his tongue. It was by far the best drink he'd had that night.

"What is this?" he asked before taking another long sip.

"Rum, and every fruit you could possibly keep stocked in a bar," he said, clinking his glass against Blaine's before taking another sip.

"So do you come here so often that you're on a first name basis with the bartenders?" Blaine asked. It was prying, but he couldn't help his curiosity. He was grateful that the noise had dulled down a bit in their corner of the bar, making it easier for them to talk with one another.

"That's just Sam. He's a friend of a friend that I came with tonight," he said, leaning forward slightly to quickly scan the room. "Ah, there she is. And she found a friend." He pointed towards a couple at the end of the bar, two women exchanging whispers and passionate kisses, ignoring the whoops and hollers coming from those around them.

"Wait, your friend is Halloween Demi Lovato?!" Blaine asked when he realized why that blonde ponytail and pink fanny pack looked so familiar.

Kurt turned to Blaine with an incredulous look. "Are you here with the unicorn?"

There was a brief silence between the two before they burst into laughter. Even in a club packed with hundreds and hundreds of bodies the world had proved itself too small.

"Well that explains why your friend was offering Brittany free drinks," Blaine said, suddenly feeling much more comfortable with Brittany's choice of company.

"Her name's Santana. She used to bartend here up until a few months ago. She's not dangerous, I promise. She just wants people to think she is," he said with a smile.

"So, besides the free drinks what brings you here tonight?" Blaine asked as he finished off the last of his drink, licking the sticky sweet syrup residue left on his lips.

Kurt shrugged. "I like to dance. Usually only by myself but it just so happens I found a worthy partner tonight," he said with a wink, licking his own lips in turn. The sight ignited a warmth in the pit of Blaine's stomach.

"Then I really am the luckiest guy in the world tonight, aren't I?" he replied, resting his free hand against Kurt's hip.

Kurt smiled, his cheeks reddening beneath the layer of costume makeup. His eyes darted down to his shoes for a second, a brief moment of vulnerability, before looking back up at Blaine, his gaze slowly melting from innocent to sultry.

"Why don't you give me one more dance and see where things take us?" he asked, biting his lip.

Blaine's knees nearly gave in. There was a sliver of a chance that the most stunning human being he'd ever encountered his life was interested in him. He could hardly believe that someone like Kurt had even given him a second glance, let alone approach him first. Blaine considered himself attractive, but there he was, dressed up as Freddie Mercury with his hair gelled down within an inch of its life, and this magnificent boy had chosen him out of the hundreds of people that surrounded them. He made a mental note to buy Mike a thank you six pack of beer tomorrow for convincing him to come out that night.

Blaine allowed Kurt to pull him back over to the dance floor, his fingers now sliding through Blaine's, his thumb gliding slowly back and forth along the side of Blaine's palm. Mike and Tina had broken apart and caught sight of Blaine. Mike shot him two thumbs up, Tina giving him a round of applause as he smiled and waved them off.

Blaine let out a groan of excitement as the song switched from an 80's remix of the latest Ariana Grande single to a sped up, pumping remix of Arctic Monkeys _Do I Wanna Know._ It was a song he knew all too well, and his skin had ignited with a burning desire to pull Kurt close and sway to the beat of what he considered to be one of the sexiest songs in history.

Once Kurt stopped Blaine's hands immediately flew to the other boys hips. Kurt let out a sound of surprise, jumping slightly. He smiled, quickly finding his rhythm and sliding his arms around Blaine's neck, bringing their bodies closer than ever. Blaine inhaled sharply at the sensation of of Kurt's hips grinding directly against his, the heat in his stomach trickling down to his groin.

 _I'm sorry to interrupt it's just I'm constantly…_

"You really are the most stunning guy here, y'know. Probably the most stunning person I've ever seen in my life," Blaine murmured against the side of Kurt's neck, resisting the urge to swipe his tongue across the bare expanse of his neck up to his earlobe. The latest drink had made him bolder, more unashamed in his desire for this beautiful boy.

"You should give yourself more credit," Kurt replied breathily, biting his lip at the sensation of Blaine's breath tickling his warm skin.

Blaine shook his head, dusting his lips for the briefest second against the skin directly below Kurt's ear, his hands tightening their grip on Kurt's hips. "There's no universe besides this one where someone like you talks to someone like me."

 _On the cusp of trying to kiss you…._

Kurt pulled himself away from Blaine's lips slightly, but remained in his hold. Blaine loosened his grip, pulling back quickly, prepared to apologize profusely for crossing the line and praying that Kurt didn't walk away. Instead his eyes locked with Kurt's, an intriguing mix of hazel and blue, sparkling bright under the neon lights of the club. The taller boys lips parted, his tongue quickly dancing across his bottom lip, Blaine's eyes travelling down and fixing on the other boys perfect, rosy lips.

They met each other halfway, their lips colliding with such force it caused them to stumble. Blaine pulled Kurt flush against his chest, their bodies completely aligned as they continued to sway to the beat of the music. The first few seconds were a mess of teeth and tongue desperately trying to cover as much ground as possible, but they soon settled into a much calmer rhythm, their lips sliding against one another smoothly, surprisingly gentle given their messy start.

Kissing Kurt far exceeded any and all of Blaine's expectations. His lips were lightly coated with a gloss that tasted faintly of cherries and a faint dash of cinnamon, his tongue flavored with the taste of the various fruits in his pineapple sunrise. He was the sweetest taste Blaine had ever experienced.

Time had come to a full stop for Blaine. Hours could've passed and all he would care about was making sure that he never had to stop kissing Kurt. They came up for air for moments at a time, one of them always quick to connect their lips once more. Blaine could feel himself growing lightheaded but no part of him had the willpower to care.

 _I don't know if you feel the same as I do…_

Kurt was the one to break off the kiss for more than a few seconds, placing his fingertips gently against Blaine's kiss swollen lips.

"I need a minute to breath or else I might pass out," he explained breathily, Blaine nodding and taking a moment to take in several deep breaths.

At some point they'd stopped dancing, but their bodies remained intertwined, less than an inch apart. Blaine's tank top clung to his skin, and Kurt's immaculate makeup had finally fallen victim to the heat. His lips were swollen and smeared with a mixture of gloss and paint, still as much of a work art as he'd been from the start of the night. He rubbed the back of his hand along his cheek, smudging most of the right side of his makeup.

The two remained silent, unsure of how to proceed. All Blaine wanted was to lean in and kiss Kurt again and again, for as long as he would allow, but something had changed in Kurt's eyes. The other boy bit his lip, his palm sliding down to rest on Blaine's chest.

 _But we could be together, if you wanted to..._

"Want to come to my place?" Kurt asked.

In that moment Blaine was confident that every good deed he'd performed in his life had been building to this moment. Perhaps the alcohol had made him completely and utterly love sick, but he was convinced that the universe had given him the kindest gift it could. He nodded, not trusting himself to not sputter out some embarrassingly over enthusiastic response. Kurt grinned, his eyes crinkling slightly.

"I just need to let Santana know I'm going to head out. Wait for me by the exit?"

Once again Blaine nodded, still not trusting that he could put together a coherent sentence. Kurt smiled, leaning forward to give Blaine a brief, but passionate parting kiss before making his way back towards the bar to find Santana.

Blaine shook himself out of his daze, realizing he should take this opportunity to let Mike and Tina know where he was off to. He scanned the room for them, quickly finding them on the other side of the dance floor, grinning from ear to ear. It was clear that they'd been watching the show Kurt and Blaine had just put on.

"Get it, B!" Mike called out, Tina wolf whistling at the same time.

Blaine attempted to use some hand signals to let them know that he'd be heading out for the night, only for the two to give him concerned looks. "I'm leaving with him," Blaine mouthed to them, their eyes widening in surprise. They cheered in unison. Blaine rolled his eyes, turning to head towards the exit to the club when his phone buzzed in his back pocket. He pulled it out to find a text from Brittany.

"Stay safe! Make good choices!" the message read.

Blaine turned towards where he'd seen Brittany last. She was sitting in Santana's lap, waving to Blaine when she caught sight of him. Santana shot Blaine a dirty look, whispering something in Brittany's ear. Blaine's phone buzzed once again. Another message from Brittany.

"Santana says if you try anything funny she'll skin you and wear you as a hat."

Blaine gulped. Despite what Kurt had said Santana _did_ seem dangerous to him. He gave the two a nervous smile before backing away towards the door. Santana ran a red manicured fingernail along her neck, a subtle threat directed at Blaine that Brittany didn't notice. He shivered, turning his back to them and rushing off to find Kurt.

Kurt was leaning patiently against the wall beside the exit, subtly fixing his hair in the reflection of a nearby mirror. He straightened up quickly when he caught sight of Blaine, pretending he hadn't just been fiddling with his appearance as he gave Blaine a knowing smile.

"Ready to get out of here?" he asked, hooking a finger through Blaine's belt loop, pulling him in closer to him.

"I thought you'd never ask," Blaine teased, stealing one last kiss for the road, his palms cupping the sides of Kurt's head. Kurt inhaled sharply, his free hand twitching before it flew up to rest against Blaine's. He couldn't help the giggle that bubbled up in him as Blaine broke off the kiss, sliding their fingers together.

They finally made their way out of Scandals, ignoring the envious looks from those still waiting in line to get into the club as they made their way towards the subway. The subway station was only two blocks from Scandals, but it took them a considerable amount of time to get there. Blaine stopped them twice, pressing Kurt gently up against a concrete wall to kiss him breathless.

"At this rate we're never going to get to my apartment," Kurt mocked once he'd finally caught his breath, Blaine pulling him in for one last kiss before releasing him from his place against the wall.

"Sorry — it's just that I'm pretty sure this is all a dream and I want to make sure I get the most out of it before I wake up," he said, lifting their interlaced fingers to his lips and pressing a soft kiss to the back of Kurt's hand.

Kurt blushed, hiding his cheeks bashfully. "Did you know you might be the most flattering guy in the city? No — the world."

Blaine laughed. "Is that a good thing?"

Kurt hummed, smiling coyly before replying. "You tell me."

The fire in Kurt's eyes sent a wave of arousal over Blaine so strong it nearly knocked him back. Yup, definitely a good thing, he decided. They took one last detour before they reached the subway station, taking a minute to listen to a band of college students playing a percussion only rendition of Africa by Toto. Blaine spun in Kurt in a circle, attempting to lift him dramatically, only for the two to erupt into a fit of giggles as they nearly toppled themselves over.

The subway ride was mostly uneventful. They sat next to one another in their nearly empty car, Blaine's fingers tracing circles starting at Kurt's knee and dancing up and up until they were gently skirting his upper thigh. The two shared knowing looks but withheld from kissing while on the train. Blaine could feel his arousal building with each stop. Mere seconds after Kurt rested his own hand on Blaine's thigh, wordlessly resting it there as though that was where it had always belonged, Blaine could feel himself growing hard in his already uncomfortably tight jeans.

Kurt tugged Blaine up as they arrived at his stop, Blaine marveling as he led them to a cozy, tree lined block on the Upper West Side just a block away from the train. They arrived at a modest apartment building, traveling up two flights to apartment 3B, Kurt unlocking the door to reveal a small/slightly cramped, but well furnished studio. How someone as young as Kurt managed to afford living in a studio on the Upper West Side was an anomaly to Blaine, but he didn't dare question it.

"Well, I'm glad you suggested coming here because your place puts mine to shame," Blaine said as he stepped into the combined living room and bedroom, admiring the array of framed Playbills lining the wall above the modest TV.

"Thank you. You're lucky, usually it's a lot more cramped than this," he replied as he grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge.

"Roommate?" Blaine asked as he headed back towards the kitchen.

"Not exactly…"

There was only one bed, and the couch didn't seem functional for sleeping on. Blaine's brow furrowed. "Boyfriend away on a business trip?" he asked tentatively. It wouldn't have surprised him if someone like Kurt wasn't single, he seemed too good to be true. Blaine couldn't help the sinking feeling in his stomach at the thought of this being the home Kurt shared with another man, finding no solace in the reminder that Kurt had still chosen to bring him here.

Kurt sputtered, choking on his water. He swallowed quickly, coughing for several seconds, his cheeks redder than they'd been all night. "N-no," he managed to choke out in between coughs. "Definitely no boyfriend," he reassured, sucking in a deep breath once his coughs had subsided.

"You really are a man of mystery," Blaine teased once Kurt's coughing fit had ended, leaning against the counter beside him.

Kurt smiled shyly, biting his lip and glancing from Blaine to the living room area behind him.

"We could watch a movie if you want," Kurt offered.

Blaine raised a brow with a smirk, sliding his hand across the counter to rest gently around Kurt's waist.

"Is that what you want?" he asked, sliding in front of Kurt, trapping him against the counter and leaning in just close enough for him to feel the sharp intake of Kurt's breath against his lips.

"No," Kurt replied breathily.

That was all Blaine needed before lunging forward, capturing Kurt's lips. Kurt met him with equal enthusiasm, rolling his hips roughly against Blaine's. Blaine moaned shamelessly into the kiss, his hands reaching down to grab at the back of Kurt's thighs. He broke off the heated kiss and took a step back, Kurt whining at the loss of contact. Blaine tightened his hold on the back of Kurt's thighs, taking a breath before lifting the other boy up onto the counter behind him. Kurt let out a high pitched yelp of surprise, his fingers digging roughly into Blaine's shoulders as he was lifted into the air.

Once Kurt was safely seated on the edge of the counter Blaine tilted his head up to press hot, open mouthed kisses along the edge of Kurt's jaw, his lips settling just below his ear.

"Is this what you want?" he whispered against the other boys skin, his hands now settling on the swell of Kurt's ass, his thumbs digging into the leather clad skin.

"God yes," Kurt moaned in reply, tilting his head back to give Blaine access to the full expanse of his neck.

Blaine made quick work of dragging his lips along the column of Kurt's neck, sucking harshly against the other boys pulse point. He pulled Kurt by the hips closer to him, grinding himself against Kurt's inner thigh as the sound of Kurt's breathy moans made him so hard he could barely think. He pulled away from Kurt's neck with a wet smack, taking a moment to admire his work. Blood had begun to pool under the surface of his skin, the dark red and purple splotch standing bright against his otherwise flawless skin. Blaine attempted to take a slight step back, only for Kurt's legs to lift up around his waist, his ankles locking at the base of Blaine's back.

"No. Stay here," he commanded, his voice husky and eyes hooded with lust as he pressed his lower half flush against Blaine's — the sensation of their cocks brushing, even through four layers of clothing, made Blaine weak.

Thankfully Kurt's hold was strong enough to support him. Blaine leaned in to reconnect their lips once again. Kurt's palms roamed along the toned muscle of Blaine's chest, sliding further and further down until he was pulling the sweat slick tank top out from his jeans and tugging the fabric over his head. Blaine happily rid himself of the garment, tossing it to the ground before returning his attention to Kurt's neck. He sucked roughly at the skin directly below the first mark he'd made, pulling away with a satisfied smirk at the sight of a second mark beginning to form.

Blaine finally turned his attention to Kurt's skintight neon top. He peeled the top over Kurt's head, moaning under his breath. As expected, Kurt was just as perfect beneath his clothing, his skin smooth and creamy and toned and soft to the touch.

"Please let me take you to bed," Blaine pleaded, sliding his hand to palm over Kurt's cock, straining against the material of his leather pants.

Kurt hissed sharply at the desperately needed contact, looking at Blaine with lust blown eyes. He nodded, wrapping his arms firmly around Blaine's neck. Blaine moved his grip back to the backs of Kurt's legs, lifting him up into his arms. Kurt's ankles tightened their hold on Blaine's waist as he was carried the short distance to the bed in the corner of the small single room. Blaine put Kurt down gently, his legs unhooking from around his waist and dangling off the edge of the bed, kicking off his boots in the process.

"How you manage to move in these is astounding," Blaine said of Kurt's leather pants as he attempted to undo the three buttons holding them closed.

"Years and years of practice," Kurt replied, lifting his hips up to assist Blaine with the daunting task of literally peeling him out of his pants.

It took some wriggling on both boys' parts, but they succeeded in ridding Kurt of the leather pants. Blaine slid his palm along the exposed skin of Kurt's legs, wondering just how it was possible for someone to have such long, toned legs and still move as gracefully as Kurt did. He dragged his tongue along the seam of Kurt's inner thigh, pausing as he reached the hem of his boxer briefs. He turned his attention to the opposite thigh, biting down on the skin before soothing the bite with his tongue — Kurt gasping in response. Blaine allowed himself to trail wet open mouthed kisses up Kurt's legs to his torso, giving his hip bones extra attention, before slotting himself between Kurt's legs, kissing him on the lips once more.

"The amount of clothing you have on right now is completely unfair," Kurt protested in between kisses, his fingers sliding between their bodies to pull Blaine's belt undone.

Blaine straddled Kurt's waist, allowing the other boy to lean up and pull his belt free from his jeans. His nimble fingers quickly undid the fly on his uncomfortably tight jeans, his warm palm unexpectedly sliding beneath the fabric of Blaine's boxer briefs. His long, thin fingers wrapped themselves around Blaine's cock, tugging slightly before releasing, stroking lazily.

"You're gonna be the death of me," Blaine mumbled, his loud moans echoing off the thin walls as Kurt pulled his hand slowly back to his chest.

Kurt lifted a finger to his own lips, his tongue swiping a bead of precum that had gathered on the tip of his finger. Blaine groaned, crashing his lips againsg Kurt's as he attempted to wriggle out of his jeans and boxer briefs. He kicked off his shoes without a care, the rest of his clothing following quickly after. Blaine wasted no time in hooking his fingers on the waistband of Kurt's underwear, pulling them down and tossing them aside. He slid back over Kurt, slotting their cocks together perfectly. He moaned hot against Kurt's cheek as he rolled his hips down against the other boys, using all of the willpower left in him not to come instantly.

Blaine slid his hand between their burning bodies, gripping his and Kurt's cocks at once, rolling his hips in time with his strokes. Kurt threw his head back against the pillows as he arched his back in pleasure, his fingers coming up to grip Blaine's back, his nails digging shallow crescent moons into his skin.

"W-wait!" Kurt pleaded after several seconds of sheer bliss, Blaine doing his best to still his movements.

Kurt reached between them, pulling Blaine's hand into his and guiding it up rest beside his head. Their chests heaved against one another as they attempted to catch their breath.

"I want you to fuck me," Kurt said in no more than a whisper, Blaine's cock twitching with interest.

Blaine's lips parted in surprise, the thought of fucking Kurt leaving him so dizzy he could hardly think to nod.

"I-Is that okay?" Kurt asked nervously when Blaine didn't respond, his cheeks flushing all the way up to the roots of his hair.

"More than okay," Blaine finally managed to say, ducking his head down to kiss and suck along Kurt's collarbone.

Kurt smiled as he let out a breathy moan of approval, reaching with his free hand into the nightstand beside his bed. He pushed a travel size bottle of lube and a condom wrapper into the hand Blaine still had laced with his, giving Blaine a knowing look when he lifted himself back up.

As much as he wanted to cut right to the chase, Blaine took his time with Kurt. He set the bottle and the wrapper aside, pressing his lips to Kurts and allowing himself to savor the taste of the other boy. His palms roamed every bit of skin they could find, his lips following suit as they nipped, sucked, and bit their way down to Kurt's ankle. Kurt giggled at the feather light kiss pressed to the sensitive skin of his foot, biting his lip when Blaine hooked his knee over his shoulder. Blaine popped the cap on the bottle, generously coating his fingers. He leaned forward, hiking Kurt's leg high into the air. He pressed another kiss to the inside of the boys knee before reaching forward, his index finger circling the tight rim of Kurt's hole.

Kurt inhaled sharply, his body tense as he prepared himself for the sensation of his body stretching around Blaine's finger. Blaine teased him, running his finger along the rim and along his entrance, but still not pushing in. Kurt's eyes slid closed, his body beginning to relax. He let out a whine as Blaine's dragged roughly along his entrance, bucking his hips against Blaine, encouraging him to continue. Blaine laughed at Kurt's eagerness, giving him what he wanted and finally pressing his index finger inside of the tight heat.

Kurt mewled, biting down on his lip as he allowed the sensation he'd been craving to wash over him. Blaine gently pumped his finger, adding more force only when he was sure Kurt was ready. He added a second finger, scissoring them slowly, smirking triumphantly at the sinful sounds Kurt was emitting. He crooked his fingers, prodding slowly until they dusted upon the familiar bundle of nerves.

"Fuck!" Kurt cried out, his body arching in pleasure as Blaine's fingers stroked his prostate with more force.

Blaine released his hold on Kurt's leg, letting it drop back down to the bed before he leaned forward, capturing Kurt's nipple between his lips, his tongue lapping over the hardened nub. He kept his fingers pumping in rhythm, making sure to crook them just right to brush over Kurt's prostate with each thrust. Once he'd given the same treatment to Kurt's other nipple, the other boy a sweaty, writhing, beautiful mess beneath him, he added a third finger. He focused on the task of stretching Kurt this time, giving the other boy a break from the intense stimulation. He pulled back, scissoring his fingers one last time before slowly pulling them out of the tight heat, Kurt whined as his body was left clenching around nothing, aching for the blunt pressure of Blaine's fingers to return.

Blaine ripped the condom wrapper open with his teeth, tossing the wrapper aside carelessly as he slid the rubber onto his cock. Kurt reached for the bottle of lube before Blaine could grab it, sitting up slightly as he coated his own palm. He reached out for Blaine's condom-clad cock, stroking slowly as he spread the lube on his palm generously. Blaine muttered a string of profanities under his breath — Kurt's warm, smooth palm against his achingly hard cock was almost too much to bear. He sucked in a calming breath as Kurt finally withdrew his hand, leaning back against the pillows behind him.

Blaine lifted Kurt's knees once again, propping them both over his shoulders as he leaned forward, bending the other boy nearly in half. God damn he was flexible, Blaine thought to himself. He positioned his cock at Kurt's stretched entrance, peeking up at the other boy. Kurt gave him a nod, his palm sliding up to Blaine's chest.

With one last deep breath for confidence Blaine pushed himself into Kurt, a long, drawn out moan tumbling from his lips as his cock was enveloped by the most delicious heat he'd ever experienced. Stars clouded his vision as he willed himself to go slowly, his hips stilling once they were flush against Kurt's. Blaine's heartbeat was pounding in his ears, but beneath the pounding he could hear Kurt making it _very_ clear that he wanted Blaine to move. He pulled his hips back gently, sliding them back against Kurt's slowly at first.

Like with their dancing, it took them a moment or two to find their rhythm. Blaine was pleased to find that Kurt was just as graceful and sinfully beautiful in the throes of passion as he was on the dance floor. His fingers scrapped against every part of Blaine they could find, leaving shallow marks in their wake, the burn of the multiple cuts keeping Blaine from reaching his climax embarrassingly early.

The two mumbled encouragements to one another in between moans and sticky kisses, whispering each others names hotly against necks and jaws. Blaine almost felt guilty for feeling his climax building quicker than usual — but he knew he couldn't help it. Kurt was so wonderfully tight and pliant beneath him and he was letting out these sounds — God those _sounds —_ and there was absolutely no way in hell he was going to be able to last.

Blaine lifted his hand to reach between their bodies and take hold of Kurt's cock, only for Kurt's own hand to beat him to it. He stroked himself as best he could to match the rhythm of Blaine's hips before Blaine's hand knocked his away. He smiled as Blaine firmly grasped the length of his cock, hard and throbbing in Blaine's warm hand. Blaine shifted the angle of his hips, shifting again and again until Kurt cries out in delirious ecstasy. Blaine focused his attention on stroking Kurt in time with his thrusts, making sure to hit that same angle with each rock of his hips, his cock pounding against Kurt's swollen prostate.

The world became a blur as the stars in the corner of Blaine's vision began to overpower him, everything fading away as he gave in to the most intense wave of pleasure that has ever come over him. It's better than anything he's ever experienced, and he's sure he'd be willing to give up lists full of his favorite things if he can hold on to this feeling for just a few more seconds.

His chest was warm, slick with something other than sweat. He finally opened his eyes, pleased to find Kurt panting and breathless beneath him, his own come already beginning to dry on Blaine's fingers. Blaine released his hold on Kurt's softening cock, wiping off his hand on his thigh. He gingerly pulled himself out of Kurt's throbbing hole, gently lowering Kurt's trembling legs back onto the bed.

"Is the room spinning or is it just me?" Kurt asked as he collapsed into a heap, arms splayed out at his sides as his chest heaved with each labored breath.

"That good, huh?" Blaine teased, tying off the condom and setting it on the nightstand before sliding up to Kurt's side, dusting light kisses along the other boys bicep.

Kurt giggled, the sound a sweet transition from the cries of ecstasy that had made his voice hoarse. He pulled Blaine in closer to him, tucking his face into the crook of Blaine's neck, his fingertips tracing mindless patterns along Blaine's chest.

"Don't flatter yourself… Except you should. That was incredible," he beamed, placing a soft kiss to Blaine's jaw.

"It takes two to make something as incredible as that happen," Blaine replied, running his palm along Kurt's side before it settled against the curve of his hip. "Any interest in a round two?" he asked boldly, peppering kisses along Kurt's freckled shoulder.

Kurt groaned, lifting himself enough to glance at the alarm clock on his night stand. It was nearly 3am. He slumped back against the pillows with a pout.

"Unless I want to head into work on four hours of sleep I'm going to have to pass." Blaine would be lying if he said he wasn't disappointed, but at the very least it seems as though Kurt had entertained the idea for a moment. Kurt turned to slot his body snugly against Blaine's once more, his warm eyes twinkling in the dim lights of his apartment. "But if you leave me your number before you go tomorrow we can reschedule that second round?" he offered, eyes bright with hope.

"Tomorrow? Does this mean you're letting me stay the night?"

"What kind of guy would I be if I sent you back out onto the street at this hour," Kurt replied, already beginning to kick the top cover of his bed aside.

Blaine had admittedly never spent the night with a hookup. In fact, now that he thought about it, he'd never even wound up at a hook up's apartment before. Sure, there had been boys he'd met while he still lived on the NYU campus and they'd returned to either of their respective dorms, but his own home was always just a short walk away. He had a decent idea of where he was and how he would get back to his place tomorrow morning, plus they were living in the Google Map era. He was less concerned about finding his way back home as he was about whether things would be awkward between the two in the morning.

Was Kurt the type bring hook ups home often? Was he the type to let boys stay the night? Or was Blaine an exception? There was still so much Blaine didn't know about Kurt — though the possibility of a round two kept him hopeful that he'd have the chance to learn more in due time.

Kurt slid out of his bed with a grumble, pulling his underwear back on to grab his phone from the kitchen counter, grabbing Blaine's from his discarded jeans and plugging them both into the chargers on the nightstand, turning off the lights in the process. He returned to bed, Blaine's arms already outstretched and waiting for him. Kurt let out a quiet laugh as he allowed himself to be pulled into Blaine's arms, snuggling against the warmth radiating from the others body. Blaine pressed his lips to Kurt's temple, Kurt leaning up to swipe one last kiss on the lips with a cheeky grin.

"Nice to meet you, Blaine."

Blaine smiled. "Nice to meet you, Kurt."

And with that the two finally allowed themselves to give in to their exhaustion. Heavy eyes slid closed and their limbs melted against one another as they quickly drifted off to peaceful, undisturbed slumber.

* * *

The next morning was rather terrifying. Blaine stirred as sunlight began to pour through the window beside him, his body becoming uncomfortably warm. He winced at the brightness as he slowly opened his eyes, rolling over to the empty side of the bed. Once he blearily blinked his eyes open fully he realized he wasn't in his own bed. The first sign should've been the sunlight — his room had awful natural light. The second sign should've been the luxuriously soft sheets he was wrapped up in. He'd purchased his own sheets from a bargain store and had been putting up with the scratchy, uncomfortable sheets for two years now. He sat up nervously, groaning as his head pounded in protest.

Thankfully Blaine hadn't experienced many hangovers in his life, but the throbbing pain in his temples quickly proved that this was by far the worst one he'd ever had. He glanced around the small room, the clothes scattered across the floor bringing back flashes of the previous night. His cheeks flushed as he quickly began to remember the beautiful boy whose company he had the pleasure of last night. He turned to the nightstand to grab his phone, a folded up note sitting atop it.

 _I was serious about that second round - Kurt_

Beneath the message was a phone number. Blaine beamed as he quickly entered the number into his phone, making a mental note to send Kurt a text after class. Speaking of class… Blaine checked the time, cursing under his breath when he realized it was nearly 11 in the afternoon.

"Shit," he mumbled, getting to his feet as quickly as his headache would allow, collecting his clothing from the ground and pulling them on haphazardly.

He grabbed his belongings and headed out the door in record speed. He didn't have class until 2:30, but he still needed to get back to his place and head back downtown for the class itself. Plus he desperately needed a shower. And coffee. And breakfast.

Normally he would've slowed down his walk to the subway to admire the wonderful block that Kurt lived on, checking out the various small shops that lined the street leading up to the subway. Instead he moved at a brisk pace, grabbing a bagel and coffee from a nearby deli and dodging tourists on his mad dash down into the subway to catch the train that was already sitting in the station.

Thankfully the subway wasn't delayed for once, a miracle if Blaine had ever seen one. When he stumbled into his apartment, tripping over himself in his haste to begin pulling off his day-old clothing and jump right into the shower, Mike was passed out on the couch. It looked like he'd spent the night over at Tina's but hadn't actually gotten much sleep, if the hickies lining his neck were any indication.

Blaine jumped into the shower and didn't even bother to gel his hair as he pulled on a polo and khakis. It was already 1, and he always tried his best to get to his first classes of the semester early to snag an ideal seat. He'd be damned if his lateness led to him having the worst seat in class for the rest of the semester. Mike had begun to stir by the time Blaine had loaded up his backpack and was headed for the door.

"Oh good, you're not dead," Mike observed, giving Blaine a thumbs up before he fell face first back against the couch cushion.

The universe continued bestowing kindness on Blaine. He arrived to class with 10 minutes to spare, which gave him enough time to grab his second choice seat before the rest of the class began to file in.

His first class, Advanced Music Theory, proved to be a bit dull, but informative nonetheless. The professor handed out their first assignment — a thicker packet than Blaine would've expected — to his grumbling students. Blaine frowned, he still had another class that day, plus an info session on the drama department's fall musical that evening, plus his internship the following day. He had no idea when he'd be able to find the time to get caught up on his work. And here he'd thought that this was going to be a light semester.

By the end of the day the homework had been completely forgotten. To be fair, it had wound up at the bottom of a pile of even more work Blaine had received. His second class, Queer Performance, had been a class Blaine had been looking forward to since he'd signed up for it in the spring. The professor, a Tisch legend, was harsher than Blaine had expected, kicking one student out for racing into the class one minute late. He'd attempted to plead his case, but the professor had whacked the ruler in her hand against the blackboard and demanded that he leave her sight. Everyone remained silent for the rest of the lecture. No one dared to complain when she assigned a 50 page reading due in two days.

Blaine used what little energy he had left to get a head start on his music theory packet before giving up just before 10pm. He didn't even have the energy to chat with Mike about his day or how his evening with Kurt had gone, much less make himself dinner. He grabbed a protein bar from a box beneath his bed, scarfing it down before setting an alarm for the next day, and completely collapsing onto his bed.

* * *

Thankfully, Blaine's awakening the next morning wasn't nearly as rough as Monday morning. His headache was gone, his bones no longer ached, and he actually felt decently well rested. He would be heading downtown for his first day interning at Sue Sylvester Productions, and he was grateful he wouldn't have to guzzle down gallons of caffeine to get through the day. He made sure to gel his hair, unlike the previous morning, carefully selecting the perfect bow tie to compliment today's polo and khakis ensemble.

When he stepped out into the living room, prepared to take on the day, Mike was in the exact same position he'd been in the previous morning, passed out face down on the couch.

"You know you have your own bed you can sleep in, right?" Blaine called from the kitchen, rustling Mike out of his slumber.

"But it's so comfy here," he replied as he lazily stretched out, opening his eyes to peek up at Blaine. "You look dapper," he complimented.

"It's my first day at my internship."

"Oh right! Go kill it!" Mike cheered as he hopped off the couch, bouncing up to Blaine to give him a fist bump for luck before he headed out the door.

The commute was peaceful, the weather was delightful, and there weren't even as many tourists as there usually were to shove through as Blaine made his way to the Times Square based office. All in all, things were shaping up to make for a pretty great day. Blaine entered the lobby of the building, signing in with security before he was sent up to the 19th floor. A cheerful red headed woman was seated behind a fold out table in the elevator bank, a stack of folders and name tags sitting before her.

"Welcome to Sue Sylvester Productions! You must be one of our Fall interns. My name is Emma Pillsbury, I'm one of our internship coordinators," she greeted, standing up to shake Blaine's hand once he approached the table. "Your name?"

"Blaine Anderson."

"Great! It's wonderful to meet you, Blaine," she replied, handing Blaine a folder and a nametag that read: Blaine Anderson: NYU '18. "You can head on in to the conference room and join the others. Orientation will be starting in about 10 minutes."

Blaine thanked Emma before making his way into the office. He took his time on the way to the conference room, ogling the various framed posters that lined every wall of the office. The majority of the posters were for notable Broadway productions from the past decade, a handful of the posters sporting signatures from the entire original casts. Blaine gawked when he caught sight of a set of seven Tony Awards sitting atop a shelf, each one delicately placed inside of a glass case.

Several other interns had already taken their seats in the conference room. Two people were chatting away animatedly, pausing when Blaine entered. He waved nervously, debating where to sit. The table was set with 10 chairs, and 3 people had already arrived. Two of them appeared to know each other, as they quickly returned to their conversation without acknowledging Blaine. A quick glance at their nametags confirmed this theory. Sebastian Smythe: Columbia '18 and Hunter Clarington: Columbia '19. Blaine decided to take a seat beside the other intern, a brunette girl who was hugging her backpack to her chest and was flipping through her folder. Blaine struggled to read her name tag, as it was mostly covered by her backpack. She sat back slightly, revealing that she was Marley Rose, NYU '20.

"Oh, hey, I go to NYU too," Blaine said in an attempt to strike up a conversation, proudly gesturing to his own name tag.

The girl was a bit startled by Blaine's voice, taking a moment to register what he'd said and taking a look at his nametag. She smiled shyly, but remained silent, her cheeks flushing.

"What's your major?" Blaine asked. He figured if she didn't respond he would leave her alone, but there was no harm in attempting to make a friend.

"Drama. Yours?"

Blaine was surprised. The drama department wasn't as large as one might think. In his three years at NYU he'd gotten to know most of the members of the drama department, and he had definitely never encountered a Marley Rose before. Then again, it was clear that she was shy, maybe she'd managed to slide under the radar amongst her loud and eccentric classmates.

"I'm also studying drama. Weird, I don't think we've met before."

Marley shrugged. "I just transferred this year. I was at Oklahoma State last year."

"Oh, awesome. I'd be happy to show you around some time if you want?" he offered. He remembered how moving to New York from the midwest had been such an enormous culture shock. He had never been as reserved as Marley, but it took him a long time to adjust to the brash, outlandishness of New York City.

"Oh… Yeah, I'd like that. Thanks," Marley said with a smile, finally beginning to warm up to him.

Blaine and Marley chatted about their respective classes and how she was liking the city as the other interns began to pour in. Blaine introduced himself and Marley to them as they filed in. Some were friendlier than others — Mercedes Jones from Pace and Artie Abrams from The New School happily joined in on Marley and Blaine's conversation about the best pizza in the city. Kitty Wilde, a Columbia sophomore, immediately took her place besides Sebastian and Hunter, the threesome never breaking to chat with or introduce themselves to their coworkers. Jake Puckerman of Hunter College said nothing when he arrived, ignoring the greetings from Blaine's group and taking a seat at back of the conference room. Marley looked over Blaine's shoulder to get a good look at Jake, her gaze lingering for just a moment too long. Blaine raised a brow at her, giving her a suspicious look. She blushed, ducking her head and turning her attention to Mercedes.

The group conversations quickly ended when Emma reentered the room, greeting everyone once again with a radiant smile. Her bright yellow dress and ruby red heels paired with her smile made her seem like sunshine personified.

"Welcome everyone! Once again, I'm Emma Pillsbury and it's my pleasure to welcome you all to Sue Sylvester Productions' fall internship program!" The group gave her a polite round of applause, the Columbia trio smiling smugly. "Before we begin our presentation on the program guidelines and what to expect, I'd like to introduce you to your full internship coordination team," Emma announced, opening the conference room door to let in two more people.

"Along with myself, Kurt Hummel and Santana Lopez will be working directly with you all throughout the semester."

Blaine's jaw practically hit the ground as Kurt and Santana stepped in to the room — Kurt just as beautiful as ever and immaculately dressed in a tailored vest and dark purple button down, paired with grey slacks. Santana and Kurt smiled for the group, waving as their eyes took in the students before them. Blaine's heart raced as Kurt's eyes slowly circled the group, time slowing to a glacial pace as he finally caught sight of Blaine.

Kurt let out a choked sound of surprise, Santana giving him a look and jabbing him in the ribs before she looked up and caught sight of Blaine too, her eyes widening. She dug her fingers into Kurt's arm, Emma giving them both an odd look. Kurt looked as though he was going to faint at any moment. The two remained silent, eyes unable to break away from each other.

Holy.

Fucking.

Shit.


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Welcome back readers! I considered waiting until the end of the week to post this chapter, but I had an amazing day at work and am in an overall good mood so I figured hey, why not update today instead.**

* * *

There were few things in the world that Kurt Hummel hated more than Mondays. Just a few short months ago Monday had been Kurt's favorite day of the week. Mondays were infamous at NYADA, his now alma mater. Most seniors didn't have classes on Monday, or at least not until the evening, which meant every Monday afternoon the courtyard was packed with performers. Dancers, singers, instrumentalists, and everyone in between came together to put on one huge mish-mosh of a show. Tour guides often made it a point to take prospective students through the courtyard on Monday afternoons, proudly showing off what there was to look forward to at NYADA.

Yet, those joyful, carefree days of song and dance were long gone. Kurt had only been a part of the corporate side of the entertainment industry for four months, but it had already bled him dry. He couldn't remember the last time he'd performed, let along even sing in the shower. After working 10, sometimes even 12 hour days Kurt barely found himself left with the energy to make himself dinner, let alone pursue a creative outlet. It was a wonder he still had time to see his friends anymore. Finding Santana had been a blessing, though sometimes he'd consider it a curse. Having a friend in the office had made his life significantly easier – plus, Santana was outgoing and adventurous. Her ability to make Kurt find that small bit of himself that was carefree and not constantly anxious was what kept him sane.

Dancing had been a therapeutic reprieve. Kurt had finally given in to Santana's many requests that he come dancing with her one night and was surprised to find that it was one of the best nights he'd had in months. Santana ventured out to explore the city's nightlife nearly every weekend, earning herself regular status at a handful of establishments. Kurt was not a regular by any means, but he did join her every other weekend that she went out.

Kurt had always considered himself a singer – and he still did. Unfortunately, his opportunities to sing in front of anyone that wasn't his reflection had dried up rather quickly, and he was most definitely not the type to go to karaoke alone. But he'd always considered himself a passable dancer, and if going out with Santana meant he got free drinks and at least two hours to express himself, so be it, he was in.

When Kurt was rudely awakened by the blaring sound of his alarm Monday morning he quickly realized things were very off from his usual routine. His throat was dry, as though he'd swallowed a fistful of cotton, his skin was dry and flaking at the edges (he'd later berate himself for forgetting his nightly skincare routine), and there was a naked boy wrapped around his own nearly nude body. Kurt jumped, his mind reeling to put together the previous nights' events.

Blaine, the boy who had made Kurt feel special – like he could hang the moon and no one else would ever matter. A man hadn't made Kurt feel that way in years, perhaps even ever, he thought as he recollected his brief, previous romances. It was an enormous perk that sex with Blaine had been chart topping and far exceeded his expectations. Kurt wasn't big on one night stands, though he'd engaged in his fair share throughout his NYADA days. He'd always found them a bit awkward – hotter in theory than in practice. Most of his hookups were all talk and no action, failing to deliver on the confidence they'd exuded when they'd wooed Kurt in the first place. But Blaine had delivered in all respects. He was charming, confident, and managed to flatter Kurt in a way that didn't make him wonder if it was all from a script that was just well rehearsed.

Blaine didn't stir from his peaceful slumber, Kurt marveling at how he could have possibly slept through Kurt's obnoxiously shrill 6:30 am alarm. Blaine snuffled, wrinkling his nose slightly but not stirring completely. Kurt carefully attempted to slide out from underneath the arm Blaine had lazily draped across his waist without waking the other boy. He'd nearly succeeded when suddenly Blaine adjusted his grip, pulling Kurt in against his chest. Kurt laughed quietly as the other boy buried his face into the nape of Kurt's neck.

"I have to go to work," Kurt whispered, not entirely sure whether Blaine was fully awake or not.

"M'no. Stay forever," he mumbled into the warm skin of Kurt's neck, barely awake.

Kurt smiled, gently pulling himself out of Blaine's grip. "You're cute," he whispered, placing a soft kiss to Blaine's temple before he stood up, Blaine humming in acknowledgement before falling back asleep.

Despite how little sleep he'd gotten that night, Kurt was surprisingly well rested. His stiff muscles instantly relaxed under the warm spray of the shower, and he'd actually managed to salvage his dry, flaky skin with an intensified version of his usual morning skincare routine. He sat on the couch with his morning cup of coffee, aimlessly scrolling through his phone as he savored the last few minutes he had before he'd have to head out for work.

Blaine, it turns out, was quite vocal in his sleep. He didn't say words per se, but would often let out a series of strange noises while he tossed and turned. Kurt smiled as Blaine let out an annoyed grumble before turning over, pulling the sheets roughly with him. Kurt grabbed the notepad on the coffee table beside him, scribbling down a message for Blaine and leaving it atop his phone on the nightstand.

Begrudgingly, Kurt made his way into the office, dread slowly creeping back to the forefront of his mind as he checked his emails on the subway ride downtown. Being Sue Sylvester's personal assistant had once sounded like the opportunity of a lifetime, and in some ways it was. Kurt had never been to a Broadway Opening Night, or their notorious after parties, before he started working for Sue. Now he was at a point that he found the openings a bit tedious, if he was being honest. He should've capitalized on the chance to network and rub elbows with Broadway's leading players, but usually he and Santana stuck around the bar and waited until Sue demanded that it was time to leave - always at 12:45 pm sharp.

What was more defining of Kurt's experience as Sue's assistant was his transformation from youthful college graduate with hopes of making it to Broadway to the shell of what a functioning person could be. Alright, perhaps he was being dramatic, but Sue really had run Kurt's life, both personal and professional, to the ground.

During his first week Sue had made it very clear that his name would be besmirched if he ever tried to find another job before Sue decided she was done with him. His name would be blacklisted at every theatre production company he could find.

"It would be easier to convert the Pope to Satanism than try to establish an acting career after you've crossed me," she'd warned so sternly Kurt's entire body had chilled by five degrees.

The threats had continued on with full force over the following months. Eventually he'd progressed to having projectiles thrown at him on a daily basis. It had started with a water bottle and more recently he'd only narrowly avoided being smacked by Sue's desk lamp, flying through the air and landing just inches from his desk.

Many of Kurt's early work days had ended with him calling his father, Burt, in tears, begging him for advice and shouting when it wasn't what he wanted to hear. For many weeks his job had put a strain on his relationship with Burt, one of the few people he felt comfortable being honest and open with. It was then that Kurt realized he'd allowed his job to impact his life outside of the office. He'd instantly called to tearfully apologize to Burt, promising that he would try to have a better attitude and that he was grateful to have been given such an amazing opportunity directly out of college.

In truth, Kurt's attitude hadn't improved much, he'd just stopped complaining to his dad as much. Thankfully Santana had joined Sue Sylvester Productions just a month after he did. It took a few weeks for the two to warm up to each other – Santana had a lot of bite to her, especially in unfamiliar environments. It wasn't until Sue had called her Jugs the Clown for messing up her morning coffee order that Santana had come storming to Kurt's desk.

"Come with me to get coffee, or else I might choke that crazy bitch out," she demanded, slamming her hands down on Kurt's desk.

A beautiful friendship was born that day. Having an outlet to complain to without the risk of shame had significantly improved both Kurt and Santana's lives, not to mention cutting their sanity some slack. The two kept each other grounded during Sue's tantrums, though Kurt took the brunt of them. Santana was technically Will Schuester, Sue's second in command's, assistant, but he was out of the office on most days. Most likely because he couldn't handle Sue in person, so he kept his distance to ensure he could do his job efficiently. It was admirable, in Kurt's opinion.

When Kurt walked in that Monday morning Santana pounced on him the moment he walked off the elevator, not even waiting to accost him at his desk.

"Alright, spill. What went down with you and Freddie Mercury last night?" she practically purred, tapping her fingernails against her coffee mug.

Kurt blushed, pushing past Santana to make his way to his desk. "Shouldn't I be asking you the same thing about your unicorn friend?" he retaliated, turning to her with a smirk.

Santana gave him a wicked look, sighing as she took a seat on the edge of Kurt's desk. "We got our sweet lady kisses on, but she was more of a good girl than I thought so that was the end of it. Don't try to divert, we both know you have the juicier story," she insisted, slamming down her coffee cup on Kurt's desk.

"Are you trying to get me fired?!" Kurt scolded as her coffee splashed onto one of the papers on his desk, an invoice he still needed Sue to sign.

"Calm down, lady lips. I'm just going through a dry spell right now and want to live vicariously through you."

Kurt gave her a look. "And why would you be interested in hearing about my romantic escapades with _men_?"

Santana shrugged. "The dry spell is getting to me. Besides, I've been with dudes before – it could be worse."

Kurt chose to ignore Santana instead of entertaining her prying questions. He gathered together the stack of papers he needed to get signed by Sue before that afternoon, bypassing Santana as he made his way over to Sue's office. Santana snuck up behind him, tugging his well placed scarf aside to reveal the row of harsh, purple bruises lining the column of his neck.

"My my, Kurt Hummel, aren't we scandalous?" Santana jeered, tugging on the scarf until it brought Kurt back to her.

"You really are trying to get me fired," Kurt snapped, yanking his scarf back and carefully adjusting it back over the marks.

"What? Sue can't fire you for having a social life."

"Of course she can. Where have you been the past 3 months?" Kurt scolded, turning on his heel and walking into Sue's office.

Sue was standing before the large window behind her desk, looking down on Manhattan with a sneer.

"Do you know what I hate more than tourists, Porcelain?" Kurt frowned at Sue's latest nickname for him. It had been a significant improvement from Tickle Me Doughface, but he was still hoping she'd come around to using his actual name.

"I-I don't know," he stammered, setting the stack of forms down on the edge of her desk, backing away slowly and desperately hoping that this was a rhetorical question. Not knowing the answer to one of Sue's questions was far more terrifying than not knowing an answer on any test Kurt had ever taken.

"Incompetence. It just so happens I decided to live in a city that breeds both tourists and incompetence. I've done this to myself," she muttered, gesturing towards the stress ball she had in a vice grip in her left hand. Sue went through more stress balls than Kurt could count. Investing in a box of 200 of them had been the wisest decision Kurt had made since he started.

Kurt wasn't sure how to respond to Sue's statement, but he had a strong feeling this was just the warm up for one of her usual berating monologues.

"When I say that I want my tea scalding hot, how hot do you think it should be when it's served?" Sue continued, taking a seat at her desk, finally looking up at Kurt with a truly terrifying glare.

"... Scalding?" Kurt answered nervously.

"Scalding, yes. Then why, Porcelain, would you serve me my afternoon tea at anything less than scalding?" Sue was referencing her usual 4pm ginger tea. Why she was bringing this up hours later was a mystery to Kurt, but not totally unexpected. She had an elephant's memory when it came to mistakes.

"I-I'm sorry, Ms. Sylvester. I must've misjudged," he apologized. It was pointless, but the least he could do, the berating would go on regardless.

"You did, which absolutely astounds me. How can you not tell scalding tea from _room temperature_?!" Sue spat, standing up suddenly, startling Kurt back. "Now if my tea isn't scalding hot every time it's served from now on I'm going to sign you up for a scalding hot enema so you can learn what the difference is!" Sue yelled before lobbing the stress ball in her hand at Kurt.

Kurt narrowly dodged the stress ball as he immediately ran out of Sue's office, the ball thumping loudly against the door as he slammed it shut. Sue throwing an object typically signaled the end of a conversation. He waited a beat, pressing his ear to the door to make sure she wasn't going to call him back in for more threats. Thankfully, the worst was over.

Sue's threats were nothing more than just threats, or at least as far as he knew. It felt as though he was learning new things about her every day, and perhaps his next lesson would be that she actually felt strongly enough about the temperature of her tea that she would send him off to get a 'scalding hot enema.'

"Harsh," Santana called to Kurt from her own desk, having overheard the entire conversation.

He rolled his eyes instead of replying, slumping into his chair and taking several deep breaths to calm himself. He checked his phone for the time – he'd barely been at the office for 30 minutes. He quickly scanned his phone screen, frowning at the lack of new text messages. He'd left his number behind for Blaine and had thought he'd made it clear that he wanted the other boy to text him or call him or do anything to keep in contact with him. Then again, it was still early, he could still be in bed or maybe he had to rush off to get to work in time, Kurt reasoned. He did his best to quash down the sinking feeling in his stomach as he powered on his computer, blaming it on Sue's lecture and definitely not on his totally nonexistent nerves about Blaine texting him.

The day was mostly uneventful despite the rocky start that morning. He finally switched off his computer for the night at around 6pm, an unusually early end to the night for him. He typically stayed in the office until 8 or 9, but Sue had a dinner meeting that evening, which gave Kurt a free pass to head home as soon as she left.

There had been no text messages from Blaine – or calls, or Facebook friend requests, or Instagram follows for that matter. Kurt did his best to be reasonable about the situation. Perhaps Blaine worked evenings and wouldn't be able to reach out until tomorrow morning. Or maybe his phone had died at some point during the day and he still needed to go home and charge it. Or maybe he has after work plans and doesn't want to be rude so he'll have to wait until he's home to text. Or… Kurt stopped himself. He was going to drive himself insane if he kept thinking that way.

It was unusual that he cared so much about whether or not he saw Blaine again. In the past he'd been fine with one night stands remaining that way – in fact he even preferred never having to speak to them again. But there was something about Blaine that had left him craving more. At this point in Kurt's life he felt as though he was constantly searching for something – happiness, fulfillment, love, he wasn't sure. But during those few hours with Blaine, Kurt suddenly felt as though he'd found what he had been searching for.

Kurt made himself dinner, caught up on some mindless TV, and chatted briefly with his dad about the going-ons at his tire shop back in Ohio. He pretended he wasn't checking his phone for messages more often than usual. By the time he headed to bed at 10, deciding to call it an early night, he had completely drained his phone's battery from opening it up every 5-10 minutes. The sinking feeling in his stomach hadn't gone away, but he would try to pretend that it had.

By the next morning the glow from his wonderful weekend had faded away. Kurt was back to his bitter, somber self. There were still no messages from Blaine the following morning, and when Kurt told himself he didn't care he actually started to believe it. It was a step in the right direction – he had no time for dating or complicated relationships and Blaine choosing not to reach out was probably for the best.

When Kurt stepped into the office that morning and wasn't immediately flanked by Santana, he knew something was wrong. Santana wasn't at her desk, but he did spot Emma, the HR Coordinator, frantically shuffling around the office, carrying a stack of folders that nearly covered her face. Kurt ran up to her, taking half of the folders off her hands.

"Oh, thank you, Kurt. I guess I bit off more than I could chew," she said with a nervous, high-pitched laugh.

"What's going on today?" Kurt asked as he helped Emma carry the folders out to a folding table she'd set up in the elevator bank.

"The fall interns are starting today. I thought we'd finalized all of the details, but Sue made some changes last night and I'm just… feeling a bit frazzled," Emma sighed.

Shit, Kurt thought to himself. He had completely forgotten that the new interns were coming in for orientation that morning. He had very little to do with the program, but Sue had insisted that this batch of interns should shadow Kurt and Santana throughout the semester, along with their typical duties.

"If we don't teach them how to be personal assistants now they'll just stumble through life, blindly taking anything they can get," she'd insisted when Kurt and Santana had expressed reluctance at the idea of having interns following them around.

"Would you and Santana mind being in the room during orientation?" Emma asked as she got herself set up at her table, snapping Kurt back into reality.

"Sure. I'll let Santana know when she gets in."

"Oh she's already here. I think she went into the kitchen."

Kurt's brow furrowed. He thanked Emma before heading to the office kitchen. As suspected, Santana was sitting at one of the chairs at the communal dining table, grinning at something on her phone. She snapped to attention when Kurt entered the room, her cheeks flushed as she quickly shoved her phone into her pocket.

"What's going on?" Kurt questioned, crossing his arms and leaning against the door frame, blocking her exit.

"What, I can't admire my reflection in peace?" she snapped, attempting to push past Kurt, but he quickly blocked her again.

"You like someone."

Kurt had only seen that dewy, starry eyed look on Santana's face once before. It had been during one of their first lunches together, they'd been talking about their past relationships and why things hadn't worked out. Santana had only ever had one "real" girlfriend – a fellow cheerleader from her squad at the University of Louisville. Santana never said her name or exactly why things hadn't paned out the way she'd hoped, but it was clear that she still wasn't over that first love. Santana groaned, stomping her foot before sighing dramatically.

"The girl from Sunday – Brittany. We're…" Whatever Santana said next was lost to Kurt, as she had mumbled and pushed all of her words together into a nonsensical jumble.

"You're what?"

"We're going on a date!" Santana snapped, far louder than she had intended. Her voice had carried throughout the office – startling Emma from her place in the elevator bank. "On Friday," Santana added, at a regular volume this time.

Kurt was taken aback. In all of the time he'd known Santana she'd made it very clear that she didn't 'do' dates. She still had a thriving romantic life, despite her supposed 'dry spell' – but she considered dates a waste of her time. She wasn't interested in a relationship, and probably never would be, she claimed.

"I thought you said dates were for losers?" he replied with a devious smirk, allowing her to push past him but following closely behind her.

"They are. But this is different. It's a cool date," she said with a smile.

"A _cool_ date? What're you guys going bowling or something?" he teased.

"We're going to some immersive show all her friends are talking about. It's at a warehouse in Brooklyn."

Kurt remained silent. That did actually sound pretty cool. He gave Santana a warm smile before returning to his desk. He was happy for her, genuinely. Santana deserved to find someone who warmed her heart the same way the memory of the unnamed Louisville girl did. As happy as he was for her he couldn't help the knot of jealousy that had begun to twist in the pit of his stomach. Blaine was friends with Brittany. Had he told her about what had happened between them? Did Brittany know why Blaine had chosen not to reach out to him? He rubbed his temples, he desperately needed to get these thoughts out of his head.

The jealousy slowly began to melt away as Kurt lost himself in his work. The sound of Emma's kitten heels daintily approaching his desk snapped Kurt out of his bubble.

"The interns are all set in the conference room if you and Santana want to swing by in a few minutes?"

Kurt gave her a nod, promising to stop by as soon as he finished up one last email. He finished up the last of his work before collecting Santana and heading towards the conference room.

"Why did we even hire so many of these minions? All they're going to do is make copies all day," Santana complained, just inches from the door the conference room.

Kurt shoved his elbow against hers. "Play nice," he warned out of the corner of his mouth before they stepped into the room, both of them putting on wide smiles.

Santana was right, Emma had definitely hired more interns than they needed. He scanned the room quickly, giving everyone a cursory glance, only for his heart to slow to a crawl at the sight of a very familiar face.

There he was, just as charming and adorable as he'd been on Sunday night – Blaine. Just the sight of him made Kurt weak in the knees. The fact that he was here at Kurt's office, as one of his interns at that, made Kurt want to sink into the ground. How had it never come up that Blaine was still in college? Suddenly, the memory of Emma sending around the list of their fall interns in an email last week came flooding back. He'd forgotten all of the names on the list by now but a nagging feeling told him that he had definitely come across Blaine's name. Santana's fingers dug harshly into the skin of his arm as she also caught sight of Blaine. He turned to her with a worried look. Her lips were parted in a silent gasp, her gaze frantically flickering between him and Blaine.

Blaine appeared to be keeping his cool. He looked startled, but no one around him seemed to notice. He was completely focused in on Kurt, eyes wide as saucers. The faintest traces of a blush had begun to creep up along Blaine's cheeks as he tugged at his bow tie nervously.

"I'm sorry, I… d-don't feel so well," Kurt mumbled, eyes still locked with Blaine's before he bolted out of the room. Santana nervously looked back between him and Emma before excusing herself to run after him.

Kurt made a beeline for the bathroom, slamming the door behind him and practically knocking Santana to the ground. He leaned against the wall and buried his face in his hands, urging himself not to cry or scream in frustration.

"Okay, I need you to take a deep breath for me, Kurt," Santana soothed as she cautiously stepped towards Kurt, her voice unusually calming. "Everything's going to be okay."

"Santana, I slept with an intern. An _intern!_ How could things possibly be okay?" he snapped as he lost his composure, tears beginning to slide down his cheeks.

"You didn't know he was an intern when you fucked him. Or he fucked you. Whichever one it was."

Kurt glared at her. Now was not the time for her prying jokes. She frowned, realizing she'd said the wrong thing. She shifted closer to him, pulling a napkin from the sink top and handing it to him.

"You're not going to get in trouble. There's no way you could've known, and— "

"Except I could've known. If I'd just talked to him for five minutes instead of just insisting that he… do other things. We got the list of intern names last week, so now if anyone finds out– "

"Hey, slow your roll here. No one's going to find out," Santana said sternly, gripping Kurt's shoulders tightly.

He sniffled, averting himself from her intense gaze. "What if he says something?"

"Why? So he can get himself fired too? He's not going to say anything, I'll make sure of it."

"Please don't threaten him," Kurt pleaded. As angry as he was with Blaine no one deserved the wrath of Santana Lopez.

"I won't. I'll just have a very professional talk with him and make sure we set everything straight," she assured, giving Kurt a smile. "Now get yourself together. The last thing you need is all of the other minions knowing something's up. I'll cover for you, just go back to your desk and try to relax."

Kurt nodded, sniffling as he wiped away his tears. Before Santana could leave he lunged forward and enveloped her in a tight hug, her body tense in his arms.

"Thank you, Santana," he whispered.

She sighed, her body relaxing as she returned the embrace, a rare expression of compassion on both of their ends.

"You owe me, lady lips," she replied, shooting him a wink before she left the bathroom.

Kurt collapsed back against the wall once the door had closed behind Santana. He rubbed at his red eyes and blotchy skin, forcing himself not to start crying all over again. He'd shed enough tears in this bathroom for one lifetime.

* * *

"He's your WHAT?!" Mike sputtered, spitting his mouthful of cereal back into the bowl.

"That's actually kinda hot," Tina chimed in, Mike shooting her a suspicious look.

Blaine had considered keeping his discovery about Kurt to himself, but by the end of the day he was sure he was going to burst if he didn't vocalize all of the thoughts racing through his mind. He usually went to his mother or older brother, Cooper, but the thought of talking to either of them about his post-one night stand troubles made his skin crawl. Mike and Tina had proved to be a captive audience, hanging on to Blaine's every word as he started with his initial encounter with Kurt at Scandals, and finishing with the reveal that they were now coworkers.

"I mean I guess it's hot in theory, but mostly things were just… awkward?"

Besides their moment in the conference room during orientation Kurt and Blaine hadn't so much as come within 5 feet of each other for the rest of the day. Blaine had been paired off with Marley and Sebastian Smythe to train with Emma for the rest of the day. He'd gazed enviously at Mercedes, Artie, and Jake who had been paired with Kurt for training. At one point Kurt had leaned over to grab something off the floor, his scarf shifting to briefly reveal the fading copper marks that stretched along his neck – the marks Blaine had taken so much joy in creating. The sight sent a jolt of arousal straight to Blaine's cock and he'd made sure to keep his eyes away from Kurt for the rest of the day. The last thing he needed was a hard on during his first day.

"Did you guys talk at all?" Tina asked, resting her chin on her folded arms.

"No. He was training other people the whole day… I have his phone number though," Blaine mused as he pulled his phone out and scrolled to Kurt's contact card.

It wasn't until he'd seen him again that Blaine had realized he'd completely forgotten to text Kurt yesterday. He'd let himself get so bogged down by all of his back-to-school work that he hadn't texted anyone, not even Mike. He'd felt guilty at first, hoping Kurt wasn't upset with him for not reaching out sooner – but then again, it was a lucky twist of fate that he hadn't wound up texting Kurt that night. The last thing they needed right now was to get further involved with one another.

"Wait, you're not thinking about texting him are you?" Mike snapped, pointing his spoon at Blaine.

"No, of course not!"

"You should probably delete his number," Tina said sadly, giving Blaine a knowing look. Mike nodded in agreement.

"Right. Yeah. I will," Blaine assured them. He picked himself off the couch and headed towards his room. "I'm going to get a head start on some homework," he called out before closing the door behind him.

"Don't text him!" Mike called out just moments before the door slammed shut behind Blaine.

Blaine groaned as he flopped face first onto his bed. He hadn't felt the urge to text Kurt until Mike had mentioned it. Would it really hurt if he sent him just one quick text? Just to apologize for not reaching out earlier and that he would back off if that's what Kurt wanted. Blaine assumed Kurt wouldn't want anything to do with now that the circumstances had changed, considering Kurt had looked like he was going to be sick the moment he laid eyes on him that morning. One text. That would be it.

"Hey, this is Blaine. I'm really sorry I didn't text you yesterday. I got distracted and it slipped my mind, and I know that's not an excuse but I just wanted you to know."

Blaine read over the message three times for good measure, but his thumb hovered over the send button. He chewed roughly on his bottom lip, debating the pros and cons of sending the message. His phone screen darkened as he continued to mull over whether this would be worth it. He hopped off his bed, pacing back and forth for another five minutes before finally grabbing his phone and hitting send before he could continue overthinking. He threw the phone onto his bed as he turned to sit at his desk. The text was sent, there was nothing else he could do so he might as well focus his attention on something else.

Within 10 minutes Blaine's phone buzzed. He immediately abandoned the open book in front of him and dove for his phone, fingers flying to the screen. His heart leapt, it was a text from Kurt.

"Are you INSANE?!"

His heart sank. He stared at the message for what felt like hours, his mind racing to try to come up with a suitable response. The problem was he wasn't sure what exactly Kurt was upset about. A set of three dots appeared on the screen – Kurt was typing. Blaine's breath hitched, his grip on the phone tightening as he waited anxiously for Kurt's next text.

"Please delete my number. You can't text me, I'm your supervisor now."

Blaine frowned. He understood that Kurt was in a tough position, but he couldn't help the disappointment he felt at having his hopes of something more blossoming with Kurt squashed. He opened up Kurt's contact card, prepared to press the Delete button when yet another text from Kurt came in.

"Sorry, that was harsh. Thank you for apologizing, I appreciate it."

Well, at the very least it didn't seem like Kurt absolutely hated him which was a significant improvement from where Blaine thought he stood just seconds ago. He considered not replying and simply deleting Kurt's number as he'd requested, but the nagging in his stomach urged him to send just one last text before he had to say goodbye to Kurt's phone number.

"It's alright. I would never want to hurt someone like you."

It wasn't until after he sent the text that he immediately began to regret his decision. It had been way too much, so much so that Blaine had no doubt it would make Kurt uncomfortable. Kurt was his _boss_ – he could fire Blaine for all he knew. He would never let himself live it down if he got himself fired from his dream internship all over a stupid lovesick text. He quickly shut off his phone, tucking it under his pillow and heading back into the living room.

"I texted him," he announced to Mike and Tina, who were still seated at the kitchen table eating dinner.

"Jesus Blaine you were gone for like ten minutes!" Mike scolded, throwing his hands up into the air. He pushed right past Blaine to walk directly into his room. "Where's your phone?" he shouted, already rummaging through the pile of papers on Blaine's desk.

"What do you need it for?" Blaine asked warily.

Tina stood up next, approaching Blaine with a stern look. "We need to see what you sent him." Her voice was so serious Blaine was briefly convinced he'd actually committed some kind of crime.

"We're not going to dissect everything I said!" Blaine protested, heading back into his room and grabbing his phone from its hiding place before tucking it back into his pocket.

"We have to, or else you're going to spend the rest of the week obsessing over what you should have said instead." Mike attempted to swipe Blaine's phone out of his pocket, but he was quick enough to dodge him, shoving Mike out of his room in the process and closing the door once again. "You'd better not complain about this tomorrow!" Mike shouted from the other side of the door.

Blaine knew Mike and Tina were trying to help – and they were right, he'd probably want to complain and obsess over the text message tomorrow, and the day after that and the day after that until Kurt acknowledged him. Yet the thought of letting them read his texts with Kurt felt like a breach of intimacy. He wanted to keep that to himself for just a while longer.

Before he could let himself fall back into the deep hole of obsession he tucked his phone away again, climbing under the covers and willing himself to fall asleep before he drove himself insane. He slowly drifted off into a wistful slumber – his dreams filled with hazy visions of a beautiful boy dressed up as Ziggy Stardust, the taste of his skin, the sound of his voice.

* * *

Kurt had somehow survived the day. At several points he'd considered feigning a stomach bug and heading home early, but he now had a trio of wide-eyed interns he was responsible for and Sue's schedule was heavier than usual. Just when he thought his day couldn't get any more stressful, it did – all because of a single text message.

"I'll be at the apartment tonight. XO - Rachel"

Kurt knew that when he'd agreed to splitting a studio with Rachel that it would come back to bite him at some point, and today was that day. The two had agreed that Kurt would stay on the couch and Rachel would take the bed on the nights she needed to stay over, but that Kurt was free to have the apartment to himself whenever she didn't.

Rachel hadn't needed the apartment for weeks now. She was seldom around to begin with – her Funny Girl rehearsal schedule and various press and publicity obligations keeping her busy enough that she usually chose to crash somewhere closer to the theater. Now that she was shacking up with her costar, Brody – or at least Kurt thought his name was Brody – she hardly ever stopped by the apartment.

Having had his own reign over the place for so long, Kurt hadn't cared much when he neglected to go through his usual apartment deep clean on Sunday morning. The place was still neat and tidy, but Rachel always wanted things in top shape. Not to mention, he hadn't had a chance to change the sheets from Sunday night, and the last thing he wanted was for Rachel to come home to find soiled sheets on what was technically her bed.

The small miracle was that Kurt had successfully avoided Blaine the entire day. It wasn't too difficult a task with Blaine assigned to shadow Emma on the opposite side of the office. By the time the interns headed out in one mass cluster at 6pm Kurt let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. He'd managed to get through one day – just four more months to go.

"You down for a drink tonight? I owe you a shot for surviving this shit show of a day," Santana said, coming to sit by Kurt's desk.

A drink sounded amazing, but he knew he had to focus on work. "Sorry, not tonight. Rachel's coming back to the apartment tonight and I need to get back in time to beat her there and get everything up to code for her." Kurt shot Santana an apologetic smile before turning back to his computer.

"Right, you guys share a studio. Which reminds me, have I told you how ridiculously weird that is?"

Kurt rolled his eyes. "Only a hundred times."

"Good. Just checking," Santana said with a shrug, blowing Kurt a kiss before she headed out for the night.

Kurt was well aware that his living situation with Rachel was unusual to say the least, but it had worked out in his favor. Just a few weeks out from their NYADA graduation they had stars in their eyes and big dreams of living in Manhattan and making names for themselves. Rachel had succeeded in both of those respects – Kurt just lived in Manhattan.

They knew they wanted to live together, but had been discouraged by the exorbitant prices for two bedrooms in all of the areas Rachel deemed acceptable. She found the studio the same day she had her final callback for Funny Girl.

"Kurt, look at it, it's amazing and it's a steal! Plus if I get this part you can have the apartment whenever I'm travelling or have to stay late for rehearsals!"

She was jumping the gun, she wouldn't know if she would get the part for two more weeks. Plus, Kurt wasn't confident that even if she did get the part that her rehearsals would carry on so late that it would keep her from returning home. He'd expressed his reluctance, but she'd insisted. Rachel was impossible to stop when she had her heart set on something – an incredibly frustrating quality of hers. Kurt had ignored the warning advice from Burt and his fellow NYADA classmates and signed the lease with Rachel.

Now four months later Rachel was set to star as Fanny Brice on Broadway and Kurt had a studio on the Upper West Side mostly to himself.

When Kurt finally stumbled into his apartment at a quarter past seven he moved at lightning speed. He gathered up the soiled bed sheets and tossed them into the laundry basket, replacing them with Rachel's favorite lavender scented sheets. He scrubbed the kitchen counters until he could see his reflection before moving on to dusting every surface in the apartment. Finally, he reached under his bed for the large clear container full of snacks he saved specifically for Rachel's arrival. He loaded the kitchen cabinets up with her favorite granola bars, teas, and nuts and checked that he didn't have any meat products in the fridge. While Rachel didn't often force her vegetarianism on others the thought of meat in her own fridge made her uneasy.

By the time Rachel arrived Kurt had only just collapsed onto the couch, completely exhausted. The smell of peppermint and hairspray filled the air as she walked in carrying two armfuls of bags.

"I come bearing gifts!" she announced, her beaming smile immediately falling as she sniffed the air.

Kurt stiffened. All he could smell was the fumes from Rachel's favorite candle, which he'd lit just minutes ago.

"You had sex in here," Rachel announced, Kurt gawking at her presumption.

"I – what? What're you talking about?" he asked incredulously as he lifted himself up from the couch. He couldn't tell from Rachel's tone whether she was angry or not.

"There's a certain smell, it's never smelled that way before," she observed, eyes narrowing as she stepped further into the apartment.

Kurt was slightly offended. It was true that he'd never had sex in the apartment before Sunday, but still. "That doesn't mean that I had sex here."

Rachel turned to him with a wary look. She was his best friend after all, and she could see right through him. "What was his name?"

Kurt cursed Rachel's intuition, crossing his arms and sitting back down on the couch with a huff. "It doesn't matter. He won't be coming back again if that's what you're wondering," he replied bitterly, more bite to his tone than he had intended.

"Oh, sweetie," Rachel cooed, setting her bags down and sitting on the couch beside him. "The reason I have to stay here tonight is because I broke off things with Brody," she said somberly, perking up a bit when she reached for one of her bags and pulled out a bottle of white wine. "Let's be sad together?"

It wasn't until that moment that Kurt realized just how much he missed Rachel. There was a time when Kurt had found her presence loud, abrasive, and annoying – but he just wasn't the same without her around. Rachel had always pushed and motivated him. She was the biggest dreamer he'd ever met, and she wanted the same for Kurt. Now that her dreams had come true Kurt couldn't help but feel as though he'd been left behind.

Kurt put aside all thoughts of Blaine and Sue and loneliness and focused on enjoying the rare evening he had to spend with Rachel in their home. Rachel waxed poetic about her love affair with Brody, calling him her 'one great love.' By her third glass of wine she had moved on to calling him a selfish pig who had broken things off with her because she'd insisted that he invest in higher thread count sheets for his bedroom. Both Rachel and Kurt knew that Brody was a temporary substitute for Rachel's true 'one great love' – Kurt's step brother, Finn, who was still living back in their hometown in Ohio.

Kurt let Rachel rant to her heart's content, satisfied with keeping the details of his own heartbreak to himself. He'd nearly gotten away with not mentioning Blaine until he felt his phone buzz in his pocket. He quickly glanced at it, brow furrowing at the unfamiliar number. He scanned the screen, letting out a choked out cough as he bolted to his feet.

"I need to go to the bathroom," he announced more loudly than was necessary, leaving behind a confused Rachel as he ran to the bathroom.

Once the door was locked behind him Kurt's fingers flew across the keyboard as he tapped a response to Blaine. He hit send before he could overthink what he was doing. If one day Sue decided to raid Kurt's phone and saw that he had been texting one of their interns he was done for. It was an outlandish thing to be worried about, but he wouldn't put it past Sue to go snooping through his phone one day.

Naturally, he instantly regretted being so harsh to Blaine. He hadn't gotten much satisfaction out of the confirmation that Blaine did intend to text him and had just gotten caught up in other things, he was too preoccupied with the idea of Blaine's name appearing in his phone now that things had changed. It had been foolish of Blaine to text him, but sweet nonetheless. He sent off an apology text before tucking his phone away and stepping out of the bathroom.

"You were texting him weren't you?" Rachel was standing directly outside the bathroom door, her arms folded sternly across her chest.

Kurt blushed, shifting awkwardly as he shrugged. "He texted me first."

Just as he said this, his phone buzzed. Rachel's eyes widened as she stepped towards Kurt, backing him up against the bathroom door.

"What did he say, Kurt?"

Kurt attempted to bypass Rachel, but she quickly stepped in front of his path. He groaned, there was no hope of escape in their single room studio anyway. He opened up the text message, reading it out loud.

"It's alright. I would never want to hurt someone like you." Kurt bit his lip. He really wished that hadn't been the text Rachel had to see, or hear. Blaine's endearing tone managed to make Kurt seem like the villain out of context.

"What did he do to you?" Rachel seemed perplexed, wanting to ask for the full story but knowing Kurt wasn't ready yet.

Kurt shrugged. "Nothing really. It's just… complicated. I really, _really_ liked him, but it's not going to work."

Rachel didn't push, giving Kurt a weak smile before pulling him in for a hug. Kurt sighed as he wrapped his arms around her and took in the all too familiar scent of her favorite perfume. Kurt wasn't big on physical affection, but he'd actually found both of the hugs he received today incredibly soothing. Rachel broke the hug first, holding Kurt at arms length, a mischievous gleam in her eyes.

"Time to move on from the sad phase to the dance party phase," she said before releasing Kurt. She bounced over to the speaker on the dining room table and plugged in her phone. She tapped away at the screen for a moment before the opening chords of Carly Rae Jepsen's Party For One began to blare out of the speaker.

"C'mon!" Rachel called out as she ran back into the living room, hopping up on the bed and jumping and dancing in time with the music.

"What're you doing?" Kurt asked warily, not moving from his place by the bathroom.

"We're going to dance and sing until we forget that men are terrible and that none of this really matters!" She bounced off of the bed, grabbing Kurt's hands and pulling him over to her.

Kurt watched her dance gleefully, bouncing from the bed to the carpet to the couch with reckless abandon. She tossed her hair and spun herself in circles until she collapsed into a fit of giggles onto the rug in their living room. She was likely more than just a little drunk, but she really did look like she'd forgotten all of her troubles. Kurt smiled, helping her back up to her feet before finally joining in on her dance party. They flung themselves around the room without a care, throwing pillows and flowers at one another and even ripping up the pictures of Rachel and Brody that she'd brought along with her. They screamed along to the lyrics until their throats were hoarse, not caring about the bangs on the walls from their disgruntled neighbors.

By the time the song faded away they had both thrown themselves onto the bed, laughing so hysterically tears had formed in the corners of their eyes and the muscles in their cheeks had begun to burn.

"I've missed you. I've missed this place," Rachel mused once her laughter had finally subsided, dabbing at the few tears that had slid down her cheeks.

"We've missed you too," Kurt replied, reaching down to squeeze Rachel's hand in his.

Finally, for the first time that week, Kurt felt like things were going to be okay.


	3. Chapter 3

Fall semester was determined to drive Blaine to rock bottom, or at the very least to insanity. In only three days he'd amassed more homework than he'd ever had in his previous three years at NYU, and he hadn't even chosen an audition song for the fall musical yet. His Advanced Music Theory Packet had proven more difficult than he'd anticipated, taking up the largest chunk of his time. He'd stayed up until nearly 3 in the morning Wednesday night working on the final five questions before giving in and sending a Facebook message to one of his classmates — Brett, who was infamously known for having cheat sheets for every class he was in. He'd prided himself on never having to resort to Brett for answers, despite having shared multiple classes with him over the years. Mike had used Brett's cheat sheets periodically and vouched for his legitimacy, but Blaine preferred working through assignments on his own. Desperate times called for desperate measures, unfortunately.

Blaine wasn't alone in feeling like senior year was getting the best of him. Tina was typically a common presence in the apartment, but she'd insisted that she and Brittany needed to stay in to to focus on work. Mike solemnly agreed, ending their two year long tradition of having the girls over for a homemade pasta dinner on Thursday nights.

By the time his next day at Sue Sylvester Productions had rolled around Blaine had completely forgotten about the ordeal with Kurt. It was a blessed miracle — he didn't think his body could handle his heart taking a beating when his brain was on the brink of totally frying. Friday morning found Blaine headed in to the office with butterflies fluttering away in his stomach. Sure, nothing was going to become of him and Kurt, Blaine knew that for sure now, but he could still admire Kurt from afar couldn't he? There wasn't a rule against having a pesky crush on your supervisor was there?

Blaine's breath caught in his throat as he entered the office, his eyes drawn immediately to Kurt. The other boy was bent over his desk, scribbling in a notebook. He'd opted for a sleek black turtleneck as opposed to a scarf to cover his neck this time, Blaine's stomach twisting at the thought of the fading bruises hiding beneath the fabric. His grey slacks clung to his legs in such a way that made him appear impossibly taller. Blaine gulped as he eyed Kurt's bent hips, remembering how wonderful it had felt to grip them tightly, flashes of his lips brushing against the skin stretched taut over his hip bones sending chills down his spine.

"Good morning, Blaine!" Emma greeted cheerfully, Blaine quickly collecting himself as he turned to her with what he hoped wasn't a too-wide smile.

"Good morning, Emma. Are we still training with Santana today?" he asked. He, Marley, and Sebastian were to switch off with Santana's group to train with her for the day.

"Unfortunately Santana's out sick. I'll have you guys train with Kurt today — he can show you guys some of what he does and we'll have you sit in with Santana when she's back in the office next week," Emma said with a smile before heading back to her desk.

Blaine gulped. He hadn't anticipated having to spend the entire day with Kurt. Granted, he'd also be with Sebastian and Marley, but Blaine couldn't so much as look at Kurt without having flashbacks to their hook up. How did he expect to survive an entire day staring up at Kurt and those beautiful lips and cheekbones so sharp they could cut glass and that ass… He was totally screwed.

Instead of heading straight to Kurt's desk Blaine decided to meander in the office kitchen. He poured himself a cup of coffee, sipping it slowly as he kept an eye on the office entrance. He didn't want to have to face Kurt alone, so he would wait until either Marley or Sebastian arrived first. He finished most of the coffee while he waited, nervously looking around the kitchen for an excuse to continue lingering. He picked up a banana from the communal fruit bowl on the counter, beginning to unpeel it when someone else entered the kitchen. He froze, it was Sue Sylvester.

Blaine had read plenty of articles about Sue, and he had a vague hope that this internship would give him a chance to have a conversation with her. Emma had warned during orientation that it was unlikely that they would get to speak to Sue directly, in fact she encouraged them not to. Sue's harsh reputation was hardly a secret. On his first day Blaine and Marley had cowered when Sue stormed out of her office, yelling into her cellphone before throwing it down so hard on the ground it shattered instantly on impact. Kurt had shuffled to pick up the broken phone pieces and toss them in the trash before retrieving a brand new iPhone from a drawer in his desk and placing it in Sue's waiting outstretched hand.

"I didn't know we'd hired a Burt Reynolds impersonator for the office," Sue observed, looking Blaine over with a bored, drab expression.

He remained unmoving, his hands shaking at his sides. Should he heed Emma's warning and not try speaking to Sue? But what if she was upset with him for ignoring her? Sue continued about her business, pulling a yogurt from the fridge.

"I-I'm an in—"

"I don't care," Sue interrupted before Blaine could finish.

She gave him an unreadable look before stepping uncomfortably close to him. At this point Blaine was trembling, his will not to embarass himself any further in front of her the only thing keeping him upright. She grabbed the banana in his hand, looked him up and down once more with a look of disgust, then left without word. Blaine finally let out the breath he'd been holding, lifting a shaking hand to his hollow chest.

"You're not supposed to speak to her directly," a familiar voice chided.

Blaine looked up, his body going weak once again at the sight of Kurt leaning in the doorway. He braced the kitchen counter for safety, Kurt giving him a small, sympathetic smile.

"You were all bound to run into her at some point. You just got yours out of the way early. Now c'mon, you're with me today." Kurt waved Blaine over to him.

Blaine silently followed Kurt back to his desk. Thankfully it seemed as though any awkwardness between them had passed. At the very least the sight of Blaine didn't make Kurt sick to his stomach anymore. Blaine was relieved to see Marley already seated at Kurt's desk, perking up when she caught sight of Blaine, giving him an enthusiastic wave.

Blaine and Marley had hit it off on Tuesday. They'd exchanged numbers before they left for the day — Blaine agreeing to give Marley a proper tour of the NYU campus Saturday afternoon. As he'd suspected, Marley was having trouble adjusting to the city. Her roommate had made her disappointment in her assigned roommate clear, choosing to hang out with the friends she already had and pretending to 'not hear' Marley's invitations to hang out.

"We're missing one more person, aren't we?" Kurt asked as he got settled at his computer.

"Sebastian Smythe," Marley replied, doing her best to keep the disdain out of her voice.

Sebastian and the rest of his Columbia trio had already made quite the impression on the rest of the interns. They'd all been separated into different training groups, but not without Kitty putting up a fight and insisting that the groups be paired off by school. Emma had insisted that it was important for them to get to know their fellow interns. Kitty had fiercely retaliated — sweet and fragile Emma nearly giving in to her demands when Santana stepped in.

"Sit down and zip it or you can spend your semester working in the cafeteria," Santana snapped. Kitty instantly fell silent, her cheeks flushed as she curled in on herself in her seat. Santana smirked as the other interns attempted to hide their snickers under their breath.

While Sebastian hadn't made as notorious a first impression as Kitty, he'd still quickly proven himself as someone who was difficult to get along with. He'd spent the majority of their lunch break talking about his latest trip to the Alps. He and Hunter bantered for several minutes about the best resorts the Alps had to offer before Blaine and Marley managed to break off from their conversation and inch closer to Mercedes and Artie.

Kurt rolled his eyes at the mention of Sebastian's name, Marley shooting Blaine a look. Had Sebastian already made a bad impression on Kurt too? Their suspicions were confirmed when Sebastian stepped into the office seconds later. He was typing away on his phone, not looking up from the screen as he took his seat in between Marley and Blaine. Kurt turned to their newcomer with a look of annoyance, fingers clasped together sternly in front of him. He cleared his throat, but Sebastian still didn't look up from his phone. Kurt's lips pressed into a tight line as he made more of a show of clearing his throat, Sebastian finally lifting his eyes up from his phone.

"Are we starting?" he asked, his tone unrightfully annoyed.

"We are. Phones away," Kurt directed, Marley doing a poor job of hiding her smile behind her hand.

Sebastian rolled his eyes the minute Kurt turned his back to him, putting his phone away with a dramatic sigh. Blaine's fingers curled into clenched fists — he bit down on his tongue to keep himself from speaking up for Kurt. His feelings aside, Kurt was their superior and deserved to be treated with respect. Not to mention Blaine wanted nothing more than to knock Sebastian down a peg. Sebastian put on a tight lipped smile as Kurt turned back to the group and handed each of them a packet.

"Welcome to the glamorous world of personal assistance," he said with a halfhearted jazz hands flourish.

Kurt guided them through what a typical day for him was like, showing them the various events he had to coordinate for Sue and the travel arrangements that came along with it. Kurt didn't sound particularly enthusiastic about his duties, but he did a thorough job of explaining them. He let them listen in on a handful of calls that came in for Sue, even letting Marley try answering one of the calls. When she accidentally hung up on the caller while trying to transfer her to Sue's direct line Kurt patted her hand sympathetically — the poor girl looked like she was on the brink of tears.

"Happens to the best of us," he said before deciding that he'd wait until they had more training to try answering calls again.

Kurt had more on his plate than usual, as he had to take on some of Santana's usual duties. He gave them tasks when he could, mostly sending them to the copy room to scan or shred. Sebastian made it very clear that he wasn't happy with the types of tasks they were being delegated, but thankfully didn't say anything to Kurt's face. Blaine begrudgingly joined Sebastian in the copy room when Kurt asked him to make several copies of some documents, saying nothing as he slid up to the copy machine.

"Seems like a waste of their money to be paying us by the hour to just sit around making copies all day," Sebastian observed from his place beside the shredder.

"It doesn't really matter what we're doing. It's about being here at all," Blaine protested through gritted teeth.

Sebastian snorted, sauntering over to the copier and standing uncomfortably close to Blaine.

"That's adorable. Is this your first rodeo?" he asked, arms crossed and the corners of his lips tugging upwards mischievously.

"If you mean my first internship, no, it isn't," Blaine replied curtly, grabbing his copies and pushing past Sebastian.

"Huh, so the puppy has some bite to him," Sebastian called out as he followed behind Blaine.

Blaine turned, giving the taller boy a look. "What did you just call me?"

"Oh please. Don't act like you don't use your puppylike charm to your advantage," he said with a wink.

"What're you implying?" Blaine crossed his arms, standing his ground firmly as he turned fully to face Sebastian. He did **not** like the sound of where Sebastian was taking things.

"Nothing. It's sweet is all. I think you're sweet."

Well, Blaine certainly hadn't seen that coming. The flicker in Sebastian's eyes, and the hungry look he gave him before returning to the copy room made Blaine's cheeks burn. What should have come off as flattery had rubbed Blaine off as more predatory than anything else. He shuddered — the last thing he needed right now was Sebastian Smythe making advances towards him.

Thankfully Sebastian kept to himself for the remainder of the morning, sitting quietly until Kurt sent them off for their lunch break. Sebastian regrouped with Hunter and Kitty while Marley, Blaine, Mercedes, and Artie managed to sneak away before the Columbia Trio noticed.

"Let's have lunch in the courtyard — maybe that way the Frankenthreesome won't join in," Mercedes suggested, everyone nodding in agreement.

Marley, Blaine and Mercedes ventured to a salad restaurant Kurt had recommended around the corner from the building. The group collectively wrinkled their noses at the abnormally high prices, but chose not to waste anymore of their hour long break meandering looking for something better. They agreed to meet back up with Artie in the small, private courtyard in the center of their office building. They returned, overpriced salads in hand, to find Artie already seated at a table, taking an inhuman bite out of a slice of pizza.

"Y'all have gotta get on the dollar pizza wave," Artie scolded when he caught sight of their disappointing salads. "What's the point of living in New York if you're not gonna take advantage of the cheap pizza?"

"Maybe to engage in culture and fine art," said a snide voice.

There was a collective internal groan when Hunter stepped up to the group. For once he wasn't flanked by Kitty or Sebastian. Blaine caught sight of Kitty out of the corner of his eye. She was approaching Jake Puckerman, who had yet to say a single word since orientation as far as Blaine knew.

"Did your reservation for lunch at Peter Luger's get cancelled? How sad," Mercedes replied, rolling her eyes before turning her attention away from Hunter.

"You think Peter Luger's is fine dining? Cute."

Artie opened his mouth to snap back, but Hunter had already started walking towards Kitty. He called something out to her, snapping his fingers as he motioned for her to join him. She looked between Hunter and Jake, frowning before making up her mind and following Hunter out of the courtyard. Jake remained unfazed, returning to his homemade ham sandwich and putting his earphones back in.

"What was she doing talking to him?" Marley asked, her grip on her fork unusually tight.

"She probably just wanted to hear herself talk. I haven't heard that guy say a damn thing since he introduced himself," Mercedes replied.

Marley relaxed at Mercedes words, focusing on pushing around the contents of her salad instead of pursuing the topic any further. Blaine made a note to himself to ask Marley about her apparent interest in Jake when they met up on Saturday. A part of him hoped that his interest in Kurt wasn't as obvious as Marley's for Jake, or else he'd be raising a lot of eyebrows pretty soon.

"If he's going to talk to anyone it's obviously going to be Marley," Artie chimed in, turning the conversation back to Jake. Marley turned to him at breakneck speed, eyes like a deer in headlights.

"What do you mean?" she asked in one rushed breath.

"When he's not staring into space he's staring at you," Mercedes stated like it was common knowledge.

Both Marley and Blaine were surprised by this revelation, but Artie nodded in agreement. Blaine thought he would have noticed if Jake had been staring at Marley, considering he'd spent the past two days with her — but then again, his attention _had_ been focused elsewhere…

Marley flushed a deep shade of beet red from her hairline to her neck, Mercedes giggling and Artie cooing at her reaction. Blaine shot her a sympathetic smile as she looked to him for help. There wasn't much he could do to save her from the spotlight.

"Someone has a crush," Mercedes sang, poking Marley's arm with her forkful of salad.

"Hey Kurt!" Marley blurted out, the group turning to see Kurt walking past their table. "You should come join us for lunch!" Marley continued, Artie shooting her a confused look.

Kurt appeared taken aback, glancing over his shoulders nervously.

"Oh, uh, well, I-I don't know if that's—"

"It'll be fun!" Marley added, her voice unusually high-pitched.

Mercedes and Artie each gave Kurt an awkward smile, not wanting to come off as rude. Blaine kept his eyes focused on his food, not trusting his eyes not to betray him if he turned to look at Kurt.

"I… I guess it can't hurt," Kurt said with a shrug, slowly approaching their table.

He hovered beside the table, Blaine stiffening when he realized the only available chair was directly next to him. He and Kurt locked eyes for a moment, both quickly averting their gazes. Blaine resisted the urge to kick Marley under the table.

"You can sit, we don't bite," Artie teased, pulling the chair out for Kurt.

Kurt gave him a shy smile before sitting down. He set down the tupperware he was carrying, shifting nervously in his seat before speaking. "So, what is it the kids are talking about these days?" he joked, letting out a quiet, awkward laugh.

Mercedes leaned forward, her brows furrowed. "Don't take this the wrong way, Kurt — but you don't seem all that much older than us."

Kurt bit his lip. "I'm not really. I graduated last year."

Everyone seemed to visibly relax at this discovery. Something about knowing that Kurt had only recently been in their position made them feel more comfortable talking with him as a friend as opposed to a supervisor.

"Where'd you graduate from?" Artie asked, taking one last wolfish bite of his pizza crust, earning him several concerned looks.

"I went to NYADA," Kurt answered. He was playing it safe, making sure not to give away too much personal information to his interns.

Blaine perked up at the mention of NYADA. The New York Academy of the Dramatic Arts was _the_ premiere four year university for aspiring actors and performers. It had been Blaine's top choice school, NYU being his second, but his dreams had been crushed when he found out he hadn't made it through the final round of cuts.

"I've… never heard of NYADA?" Marley questioned, Mercedes and Blaine turning to her in shock.

"It's the best performing arts university in the country," Blaine answered.

"In the **world** ," Mercedes added. Artie nodded in agreement, mumbling something unintelligible through his mouthful of pizza crust.

Kurt's cheeks had turned a lovely shade of rosy pink at the praise for his alma mater. "It has a bit of a reputation, yeah," he said humbly.

Blaine had thought it was impossible to be more in awe of this man, and yet there he was. NYADA was a breeding ground for the world's future stars. Most notably, Rachel Berry had landed her first ever leading Broadway role just weeks before her graduation from NYADA. Blaine had followed the news of Rachel Berry's rise to stardom with rapt attention, her story giving him hope that if such wonderful things could be bestowed by the Broadway gods on a girl from Ohio then surely there was a chance good things could happen for him, a boy from Ohio.

Kurt attending NYADA meant that he must be an astounding performer. His dancing at Scandals proved that he was certainly one of a kind when it came to movement, but NYADA students were notorious triple, sometimes even quadruple threats. Blaine's mind wandered as he began to wonder iif there was an appropriate way he could convince his internship supervisor to show off his singing skills.

"Enough about me. You'll learn more about all of us over the semester. Tell me more about yourselves," Kurt insisted, grateful for any excuse to get the attention off of himself.

Artie started things off. He was studying filmmaking at the New School, and was working on an independant rap album on the side. He reached into his backpack and handed each of them a copy of his latest mixtape, which they all accepted with trepidation. Marley's brief burst of faux-confidence had dried up by the time Artie passed the proverbial mic to her.

"I'm a sophomore at NYU. I like to sing, but… just not in front of people. I'm working on it. I sing to my cat sometimes." She turned scarlet when the group laughed politely. "Sorry, that sounds super uncool."

"You seem pretty cool to me," Artie assured, everyone nodding in agreement.

Marley grinned, perking up a bit. Mercedes was next. She was a junior at Pace studying music management, but she'd done some back up vocals for a couple of touring acts for a few weeks during her previous semester.

"My dad's a pretty big hot shot dentist back in Atlanta, so he'll get a handful of celebrity clients every now and again. One day Ludacris came in for a root canal and the next thing I know he's calling me up asking if I want to do background vocals on Migos' tour," she said as if it was nothing.

The group gawked at Mercedes' casual demeanor, pressing her for details. Mercedes was happy to indulge them, basking in the group's undivided attention as she recounted the story of how she came _this_ close to meeting Beyonce and Jay-Z on their latest tour.

"Well I don't know how I'm expected to follow that," Blaine said once Mercedes had insisted she couldn't spill anymore tour secrets.

"You don't have any deep dark secrets to share with the class?" Kurt asked with a smirk.

Blaine shifted himself to face Kurt, mouth parted in shock. Everyone had laughed at Kurt's innocent enough joke. Kurt had whacked the ball into Blaine's court and now he had absolutely no idea how to respond. Was Kurt… flirting? Or did he just get a thrill out of watching Blaine squirm? He had a wicked fire in those beautiful eyes of his, daring Blaine to make a move. It was that same fire that had pushed Blaine to kiss him until he had to beg for air. Well, two could play at that game.

"I do, but I wouldn't want to get anyone in trouble," he replied, biting back a smirk as he maintained his eye contact with Kurt.

The other boy hummed in response, raising an eyebrow. "Interesting." He finally broke the eye contact with Blaine, turning to the group with a polite smile. "It's been great learning more about you guys, but I have to head back to my desk. Enjoy the rest of your lunch."

The group bid Kurt farewell, quickly picking their conversation back up from where it had left of. Blaine couldn't take his eyes off Kurt's retreating form, biting down roughly on his lip as he made a split second decision.

"I think I left my water bottle back in the office. I'm going to go grab it." The others hardly paid Blaine any mind as he excused himself and rushed off back into the building.

The elevator doors had nearly closed behind Kurt, but Blaine managed to squeeze his way through without losing a limb in the process. Thankfully Kurt was the only passenger, keeping Blaine from making an ass out of himself in front of a wider audience. Kurt smirked as he leaned up against the wall behind him, giving Blaine a knowing look.

"I forgot my water bottle," he explained, struggling to catch his breath. Blaine winced, realizing just how completely unconvincing he sounded.

"Oh sure. Either that or you were just hoping you could get a minute alone with me," Kurt replied with a teasing roll of his eyes.

"I-I, n-no I swear I wasn't!" Blaine pleaded frantically.

Kurt hushed him, stepping forward and gently resting his fingertips against Blaine's lips. Blaine felt his skin ignite beneath Kurt's familiar touch — fighting back the overwhelming urge to run his tongue along the calloused skin of Kurt's fingertips.

"Relax, it was a joke. We're allowed to joke around aren't we?"

Blaine shrugged, relaxing once Kurt assured him that he was joking. He moved away from Kurt's touch, not trusting himself to overpower his instincts.

"Shouldn't you be the one telling me what we're allowed to do?" he responded.

Regardless of Blaine's own feelings regarding their complicated situation, he had no authority. Kurt was his supervisor now — if Kurt thought it was best that they avoid acknowledging each other's presence unless absolutely necessary then Blaine would do as he was told. Kurt had Blaine on a string — he could send him away at a moment's notice if he truly wanted to. Blaine had faith that the bit of Kurt that he knew wouldn't abuse his power, but he would still need to play things safe.

And yet, there was he was, doing a terrible job of playing things safe. He'd followed Kurt into the elevator with absolutely no semblance of a plan, trying to do exactly what Kurt had suspected — get a moment alone with him. Blaine would consider himself a rational man, intelligent even, some might say. Yet, there was something about being around Kurt that him lose every shred of sense he had in him. All he wanted was to be close to this electric boy — learn more about him, hold him, kiss him, spend hours and hours and hours gazing into those eyes that reminded him of golden autumn leaves.

Kurt remained silent, the silence between them stretching for 28 floors. Blaine desperately wanted to close the distance between them.

"I'm sorry. About everything. That it all went wrong," Blaine said, finally breaking the silence. He'd already apologized over text message, but he wanted to do it once more in person for good measure.

Kurt's eyes were fixed on his boots, the faintest trace of a smile playing the at the corners of his lips.

"Me too," he replied, finally looking up at Blaine. His smile was vacant, his eyes distant, as he exited the elevator before Blaine could say anything else.

Blaine watched him go, his eyes fixed on Kurt's retreating figure until the elevator doors closed once again. He sighed and pressed the lobby button, knocking the back of his head against the wall behind him in frustration. Why did the guy he couldn't get out of his system _have_ to be his boss? Why had the world been so kind as to bring Kurt to him, just to make him untouchable in the cruelest possible way.

"Where's your water bottle?" Artie asked when Blaine finally rejoined the group moments later.

"Oh… I forgot it at home," Blaine said with a shrug, the group accepting his answer before pulling him right back into their conversation.

* * *

The afternoon was blessedly uneventful. Blaine kept his hands and thoughts to himself as Kurt continued his training — and even Sebastian managed to go the rest of the afternoon without a single snide remark. Kurt dismissed everyone at 6, though he remained seated at his desk. He insisted that he still had some work to get done and that they should go on without him and enjoy their weekends. Blaine wondered just how many hours Kurt worked a week on average. He vaguely remembered Kurt waking up at seven on Monday morning and was out the door by eight. Marley and Blaine gave Kurt a sympathetic smile before they departed for the day, hoping the other boy would get to go home soon after. Blaine walked Marley to her subway station, the two confirming their plans to meet up the next day at Marley's dorm.

"Hey, I'm sorry everyone got on your case about Jake," Blaine added before Marley headed down the stairs. She ducked her head sheepishly, attempting to brush off his apology.

"It's fine. I guess I've never really been subtle when it comes to crushes. I'm the one who should be sorry — I asked Kurt to sit with us without asking any of you if that would be okay."

Blaine shook his head. "You did what you had to do — and besides, it was fun. Kurt is fun," he assured.

Marley didn't read into Blaine's praise of their supervisor, much to his relief. "Yeah, he's pretty cool. Anyway, I'll see you tomorrow," she said with a parting wave before rushing off to catch her train.

Blaine turned to walk towards his own station, only to take two steps before colliding with another person.

"Oh God, I'm sorry!" he blurted out, frowning when he realized he'd bumped directly into Sebastian, who had purposefully stepped into his path. "Are you following me?" Blaine asked with a raised brow.

Sebastian laughed, brushing himself off as he took a step back from Blaine. "Relax, I just wanted to talk to you about something," he said with a laugh that actually seemed sincere.

"What is it?" Blaine asked warily.

"I wanted to know if I could have your number," Sebastian said coyly with a fox-like smile.

Blaine's brows shot up in surprise. His suspicions about Sebastian's intentions had been confirmed. His mind raced as he tried to think of an excuse not to give Sebastian his number. Blaine was someone who was polite to a fault, but if Sebastian's behavior at work was any indication of what he was like outside of the office then he definitely wasn't interested.

"I, w-well, I — uh — sure," he finally replied. One day his overwhelming need to be polite would be the death of him.

Sebastian smiled, offering up his phone. Blaine input his number before handing Sebastian his own phone.

"I'll text you sometime," Sebastian said with a wink before walking off in the opposite direction.

Blaine gulped. He sincerely hoped that 'sometime' never came around.. Once safely aboard his train back home Blaine decided to do a social media deep dive to see what he could find out about Sebastian. Maybe he would uncover more to be nervous about than he already was. Or maybe Sebastian's social media presence would soothe his concerns.

He found a mostly private Facebook page which gave him some helpful background information. Sebastian was originally from Connecticut, but had spent several years living in France — which all seemed very in character so far. He had an older sister, played rugby at his all boys boarding high school, and was studying Political Science.

His Instagram didn't provide much more information — it seemed Sebastian wasn't too fond of social media. His Instagram sported a handful of photos of mountains, various kinds of alcohol, and Sebastian and friends on a boat over the summer — Sebastian shirtless in nearly every single photo. Someone having more shirtless photos than clothed photos on their social media was typically a red flag for Blaine — he found it obnoxious, but even he had to admit that Sebastian had a body worth showing to the world.

Arrogant attitude aside Sebastian _was_ a very handsome man. Blaine couldn't honestly remember the last time someone had flirted with him, and now he had two incredibly attractive men express interest in him in the same week. Kurt had proven too good to be true, and Sebastian had thus far proven himself to be a pompous ass.

Back at the apartment Mike, Tina, and Brittany awaited Blaine's arrival with beers and pizza, already well into their celebration of the end of a hellish first week of senior year.

"Drink up, B, you've had it the roughest," Mike said as he handed Blaine a beer the moment he walked into the apartment.

"I did?" Blaine asked in confusion. Tina had already taken two tests and started prepping a study guide for a midterm this week, surely she had it worse than he did.

"You found out you slept with your boss. That's a peak 'I'm having an awful week' kind of moment," Tina explained, Brittany nodding in agreement.

"Brittany twisted her ankle this week. And she's a dance major. How isn't that worse?" Blaine retaliated, gesturing to where Brittany had propped up her swollen, bandaged ankle on a throw pillow.

"Everyone breaks or tears something their first week. It's tradition!" Brittany piped up. She was attempting to paint the toenails on her bandaged foot with one hand while drinking her beer with the other. "Besides, I had a great week. I'm even going on a date tonight," she said with a smile.

The group perked up at Brittany's reveal, giving her their full attention.

"Wait, you didn't tell me you had a date tonight!" Tina protested with a pout.

"It's already almost seven — what time are you meeting?" Mike asked as he checked his watch.

Brittany shrugged, capping the nail polish and blowing on her pinky toe before speaking. "We're meeting at 10 in Brooklyn."

"Isn't that pretty late for a date?"

"The best dates start at night," Brittany replied matter-of-factly.

"Who's the lucky guy/girl?" Tina asked.

Brittany's eyes lit up, her smile beaming as she glanced down at her phone. "Santana — I met her on Sunday."

Mike and Tina aww-ed in excitement while Blaine remained stunned. He hadn't realized Brittany had kept in contact with Santana after their night at Scandals. His first instinct was to warn Brittany about Santana's working at Sue Sylvester Productions, but he realized that meant nothing for them. Santana's position was no obstacle in their relationship — they were free to be together if they pleased. Blaine couldn't help the pinch of jealousy that tugged at his heart as he smiled at Brittany. He didn't even bother telling her that Santana was one of his bosses — what did it matter? He reached over and gave Brittany's hand a supportive squeeze. She turned to him with a barely there smile, giving him a knowing look.

"Speaking of dates…" Blaine announced, trying to shift the subject without it seeming too apparent.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, are you going on a date this weekend too?! Dude you're on a roll," Mike complimented, leaning over for a high five.

"Well, not exactly," Blaine said after the halfhearted high five. "Another intern asked for my number today. He goes to Columbia, actually — maybe you guys know him? Sebastian Smythe?"

Brittany and Tina exchanged a look, Tina's visibly worried as her eyes widened and her lips pursed into a straight line.

"Yeah, we know him," Tina said hesitantly, trying to communicate something to Brittany with her eyes.

"He's like royalty. His parents own some enormous oil company so he has more money than… anyone. Ever. One time he tripped me in the hallway. It was awesome" Brittany said, earning her a horrified look from everyone in the room.

"Please tell me you're quoting Mean Girls," Tina pleaded.

"No, that really happened!" Brittany assured, suddenly turning to Blaine excitedly. "If you go on a date with him I bet he'd spend hundreds on you."

"He seems like a major jerk, but Britt's right, going on a date with him would probably be a once in a lifetime experience." Tina seemed reluctant to offer up such advice, but Blaine was intrigued.

"You're not seriously thinking about going out with this guy are you?" Mike asked. He had no knowledge of or interest in Sebastian Smythe, and was going to make it clear that he didn't like the little that he did know about him.

"I mean he hasn't asked me out yet, all he did was ask for my number. For all I know he won't even text me."

Just as Blaine spoke, his phone buzzed.

"Does me only waiting an hour to text you make me seem too eager?"

Speak of the devil and he shall appear.

* * *

Sebastian, it turned out, wasn't all snark and witty takedowns. Blaine had kept things tame after Sebastian's initial text — not wanting to ignore him, but not wanting to lead him on unnecessarily either. He'd expected Sebastian to lose interest in such a PG conversation, but was surprised to find them in the midst of a fairly engaging conversation. Sebastian was well-traveled, well read, a performer, and articulate to an almost intimidating degree. There was no topic Blaine threw at him that he didn't have an interesting anecdote or factoid for. The two texted well into the night — Blaine finally calling it a night and promising to return with his thoughts on the 2016 Falsettos revival in the morning.

Tina and Mike had given Blaine cautious looks throughout the night, noticing that he was suddenly paying more attention to his phone than his friends. He'd casually mentioned that Sebastian had texted him, but said nothing more. Once Brittany left to meet Santana for their date, Tina finally decided to speak up.

"You sure are texting Sebastian a lot," she said slowly, Blaine still deep in thought as he composed his next message to Sebastian.

"I guess. It's just friendly get to know you stuff. Nothing crazy," he assured without looking up from his phone.

The two shared a look of concern, frowning but knowing there wasn't much else they could do. Blaine was free to do whatever he so chose when it came to his romantic life, though they both had to admit that this was better than Blaine hopelessly texting his boss.

The texts continued back and forth for hours throughout the morning — their conversations jumping from reviews of plays they'd seen recently to the moral ethics of utilitarianism. Blaine was _actually_ enjoying talking to Sebastian. In fact, he couldn't remember the last time he'd had such an enjoyable text conversation with anyone since… well, ever. Perhaps the arrogance was all some kind of hard exterior shell. Or Sebastian was just more pleasant in theory than in reality.

Mike and Tina weren't the only people to express reluctance at Blaine's newfound friendship. Blaine's conversation with Sebastian stalled momentarily when he met up with Marley on Saturday afternoon. He showed her around to the hard-to-find class buildings, where to find the vending machines that always gave you extra bags of chips, how to sneak someone into the dorms after curfew, and how to rig the library printers to print for free. They settled down at one of Blaine's favorite coffee shops just a few blocks from campus. Marley offered to pay for Blaine's drink in exchange for his mentorship — and who was Blaine to turn down free caffeine.

While Marley waited in line to pay for their drinks Blaine checked in on his texts. Sebastian had become impatient while waiting for Blaine to respond, sending him five text messages in a row.

"So you're going to leave me hanging right when I ask you the all important question: is Elizabethan theatre overrated?"

"You're killing me here kid."

"Fine, I guess I'll just have to day drink while I wait for this answer that could define the course of this relationship."

"Look at what you've done to me."

The last message was a photo — Sebastian taking a sip of a mimosa with a dramatic look on his face. Blaine snorted, spending far too long gazing at the photo before beginning to type his reply. Marley returned to their table, pushing Blaine's medium drip towards him, eyeing his rapidly moving fingers.

"You're excited to talk to someone," she teased, taking a sip of her cappuccino.

"It's Sebastian, actually," he said without thinking, completely forgetting that Marley was well aware of who Sebastian was.

"You're texting him?" she asked, confused. Last she'd checked they had a mutual dislike for Sebastian and the rest of the Columbia interns.

"Yeah. He asked for my number yesterday night and we've been texting. He's… actually really nice?" Blaine's statement came out as more of a question as he finally said what he'd been thinking out loud. Sebastian was charming, and funny, and nice, and totally not what Blaine had expected.

"He doesn't seem very nice," Marley replied, tensing up a bit. "And neither do any of his friends."

Blaine shrugged. "I thought the same thing, but he's… different. I don't know. Maybe the whole work attitude is an act or something."

"Why would you want to "act" like a jerk to people you barely know?" Marley responded, using air quotes for emphasis. It was clear she wasn't in favor of Blaine's budding friendship with Sebastian either.

"There could be a reason, I just don't know it yet," Blaine defended, intending to put his phone away and turn his full attention back to Marley, only for Sebastian's latest text to catch his eye.

"So let's cut to the chase here. When can I take you out?"

Blaine froze, staring at the screen until it went dark. He knew this was bound to come soon enough, but he thought he still had a few more days worth of pleasant conversation before Sebastian would try to make a move.

However, something had changed. Yesterday the thought of Sebastian asking him out would've made Blaine's skin crawl. But now that he'd actually gotten to know Sebastian — he'd seen that the guy wasn't as bad as he painted himself out to be. He didn't know that he wanted to take the next step of going on a date together just yet, but he wasn't as opposed to it as he would've thought.

"You look like you've seen a ghost," Marley teased, poking Blaine with her stirrer.

"He just asked me out." Blaine placed his phone on the table, allowing Marley to read the latest message.

She shifted uncomfortably, passing Blaine's phone back to him, not wanting to pry any further. "Are you sure this is allowed?" she asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, coworkers aren't usually allowed to date, and Sebastian _is_ sort of your coworker, even if we are just interns."

Blaine had already crossed that line long ago, but Marley didn't need to know about that. But she had a point — he wasn't sure if dating Sebastian would be something that could cause complications at work, and not just in the event that things didn't work out between them.

A light went off in Blaine's mind, he grinned as he opened up his phone again. "Well, then that's the perfect excuse to keep things platonic."

"So you're going to say no?" she asked hopefully.

"No. I'm making it an intern outing instead of a date."

Before Marley could express any reluctance Blaine had already shot off his suggestion to Sebastian. He noted in his text that he wasn't sure that interoffice relationships would be allowed, so why not invite the rest of the interns and see where the night takes them.

"No offense Blaine, but I don't think the rest of us really want to hang out with Sebastian."

Marley was right, Blaine hadn't thought of that. He bit his lip — he was fairly confident he could try and convince Marley to come — but Mercedes and Artie would be more difficult to crack.

"Do you think they'll do it if I pick something super fun and promise everyone one drink on me?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

"W-well, I don't…. Really… drink. I'm only 19," Marley stuttered out, blushing as she took a long sip of her cappuccino.

Blaine's own group of friends had had fake IDs their entire time at NYU, he'd nearly forgotten that some people preferred to wait until their 21st birthday to indulge. But of course he wasn't one to judge.

"Hm. In that case what if I can find a way to get Jake to come with us?" he offered.

Marley set down her cup, brows knitting together in thought as she mulled over Blaine's offer. Not wanting to come off too eager, she waited a beat before responding.

"Deal."

* * *

 **A/N: Now that we're three chapters in I've finally worked out a posting schedule! From here on in chapters will come out every other Sunday at around 6pm EST, with the longterm plan of this work being approximately 10 chapters total. Updates may come sooner or later occasionally depending on my workload/the upcoming holidays.**

 **Thanks for reading!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Welp, so much for keeping to my posting schedule. But hey at least this chapter is early! Enjoy!**

* * *

Convincing the other interns to got on a group outing turned out to be the easy part – the difficult part was deciding what to do. Blaine had turned down Sebastian's initial suggestion of a bar in SoHo that was notoriously well known for never carding. A bar would be too intimate for Blaine's liking, and he didn't want to ostracize Marley or anyone else who preferred not to drink.

Marley had suggested bowling, which Artie quickly shot down after explaining that bowling in a wheelchair was too uncomfortable to ever be worth it. Mercedes then suggested a movie, but opinions on which movie they would watch were far too divided. The groupchat Blaine had put together to coordinate the event had blown up in the 15 minutes that he had left it alone so he could get ready for bed. Sebastian had somehow instigated a massive argument over the Avengers movies, Artie sending paragraphs long texts defending Infinity War. Blaine cut their argument off with a proposal of his own – karaoke.

Blaine knew that all five of them were performers to some extent, so karaoke seemed like a safe option. Everyone agreed instantly – finally putting an end to their bickering. The second problem they encountered was finding a day for their outing. Blaine's suggestion of the following Saturday was shot down by Mercedes, who had tickets to see Ariana Grande that weekend. Artie also shot down the Saturday after that – he was headed to a robotics competition upstate. Finally, after several more arguments, the group decided on a Friday night in two weeks.

Thankfully, finding the best place for karaoke was a cinch. Since freshmen year Blaine and his fellow drama majors had frequented Callbacks, a karaoke bar on the Upper West Side. In fact, it seemed most theatre students in the city frequented Callbacks. It was a hole in the wall of a place, unassuming and well-hidden in between two popular brunch restaurants – known only to those who had the right connections. Somehow Callbacks had been removed from all corners of the internet. They didn't have a website or any social media accounts – and any posts mentioning its existence were taken down at record speeds. It was a well-kept secret among those who loved performing, and was even a hot spot for Broadway royalty sightings.

Surprisingly, Blaine even had an easy time convincing Jake to come along. He'd approached him after work after they'd settled on a date, catching him in the elevator bank.

"Hey man, a couple of us are going to get together in two weeks to go do some karaoke at this really cool place uptown. It'll just be a few of us, and we'd love for you to come." Blaine did his best to keep the invitation casual. Jake seemed like the type to brush off social gatherings because he was 'too cool' – but then again Blaine knew nothing about him besides his name.

"Karaoke's not really my scene," Jake said with a shrug.

"That's fine, none of us are professional singers. It's just for fun," he encouraged, but making sure not to seem too pushy.

Jake peeked over Blaine's shoulder to where Marley and Artie were chatting while packing up their things to leave for the day. "Who's going?" Jake asked, shifting his gaze back quickly, but not quickly enough for Blaine not to notice.

"Me, Sebastian, Mercedes, Marley, and Artie. And since this is my idea I'm buying everyone at least one drink on—"

"I'll be there," Jake answered, cutting Blaine off, his gaze now back over Blaine's shoulder again.

"Oh… well, great! If you give me your number I can text you the details."

Blaine handed Jake his phone, the other boy wordlessly plugging in his number and handing it back to Blaine. The elevator arrived as soon as Jake handed the phone off and he darted into the elevator before Blaine could say anything more. The interaction was puzzling, but at least he'd been successful. Plus, it seemed Marley's crush may have been mutual after all. Blaine smiled triumphantly as he headed back into the office, walking back up to Marley and Artie.

"I convinced Jake to come with us next Friday."

Marley snapped up, giving Blaine her complete attention. "What? How'd you convince him? I thought he was going to say no for sure."

Blaine shrugged. "Didn't take all that much convincing actually. It seemed like he was convinced once he found out a certain someone was going to come," Blaine teased, nudging Marley in the ribs.

She ducked her head sheepishly, giggling at Blaine and Artie's good natured teasing coos. "Did he really?" she asked quietly, biting roughly on her bottom lip.

"He said he was coming as soon as I mentioned you were. Which means now you have no excuse not to come," Blaine pointed out, having held up his end of the bargain they'd agreed to on Saturday.

She sighed, giving Blaine a halfhearted nod. "You win. I'm in."

Blaine dramatically punched his fist into the air victoriously, Marley bursting into another fit of giggles as Artie gave him a well-earned high five.

* * *

"Rachel, this is just cliche," Kurt complained as Rachel tugged him down the street.

"Just because something is cliche doesn't mean it won't be fun – and you desperately need some fun in your life right now," Rachel insisted, looping her arm firmly through Kurt's.

Rachel had kept true to her word and had stopped by the apartment more frequently since the night of her and Brody's break up. While Kurt was grateful for Rachel's company, it became difficult to hide his general apathy towards his daily life. Rachel was living an exciting life, spending every day of the week rehearsing for her dream role on Broadway, while Kurt's days mostly consisted of answering phone calls and scheduling dinners for Sue Sylvester for 10 to 12 hours.

Over the course of the following two weeks Rachel had gone out of her way to try to find something to "spice up Kurt's life" – though he insisted the last thing his life needed right now was more spice. He'd already suffered a minor panic attack after finding out he'd slept with one of his interns, something he'd still yet to confide in Rachel, so needless to say romance and dating were the last things on his mind. Rachel had done her best to get more details about "the incident" out of Kurt, but all he'd revealed thus far was that his name had been Blaine and they'd had a wonderful time.

In true Rachel fashion, she signed Kurt up for a variety of activities without his consent – hoping they would break him out of his daily rut. The first was speed dating, which she joined him for. Kurt had briefly considered speed-dating during a particularly lonely period in his life, but had never worked up the courage to sign up.

"It's all the fun of dating with none of the consequences!" Rachel had said.

Unfortunately, even speed-dating proved to have its own consequences. Kurt didn't find much luck with the handful of men he met during the half hour long event. He deemed them either too interesting or not his type, and the one man he did find promising revealed himself to be a creep when he asked Kurt for a lock of his hair. Rachel had scored a couple of phone numbers from the guys she met with and walked out satisfied, not realizing that Kurt hadn't gotten the same satisfaction until they were halfway home.

"Oh, sweetie I'm sorry. You'll have better luck next time," she said with a smile, nudging Kurt's arm until he gave her a weak smile in return.

"Next time" was postponed after Kurt later insisted that he wasn't interested in dating for the time being. The Blaine incident had left him so rattled that the thought of pursuing anyone romantically without getting a full background check done on them made him nervous to the point of being sick.

At the very least things on the actual Blaine front were calm. After their brief conversation in the elevator the two had fallen into a peaceful working relationship. They were able to greet each other in the elevator bank or in passing without any noticeable awkwardness. Kurt watched as Blaine amassed a small group of friends – including Sebastian Smythe, the intern that Kurt had quickly come to loathe. With their training now out of the way Kurt and Blaine had fewer opportunities to directly interact with one another throughout the day, which Kurt was eternally grateful for.

The problem with Blaine was the more Kurt learned about him the more he wanted to know. Blaine had dropped tidbits about himself in the few amicable conversations they'd had, and Kurt would be lying if he said that he didn't strain his ears every now and again to listen in on his conversations with the other interns. He was a performer, much like Kurt had once been, a menswear enthusiast, and was even an avid fan of the same Real Housewives podcast that Kurt listened to religiously. If he and Blaine had meant in any other context Kurt would've been head over heels for this petite, polite, dapper man whose contagious enthusiasm was exactly what Kurt needed to bring the joy back into his life – but instead he spent each day they saw one another doing his best not to get more involved than he already was.

Those efforts to not get any further involved with Blaine had led Kurt down a dark road of more apathy, bitterness, and disappointment than usual. Even Santana had picked up on Kurt's more somber mood, insisting that she needed to take him out for drinks sometime soon to get him out of his funk. Kurt put off Santana as much as he could, feigning stomach bugs and family obligations. He definitely didn't want a repeat of the last night he went out with her.

At the very least Rachel's suggestions for lifting Kurt's spirits didn't involve clubbing – though the speed-dating had been debatably worse. Her latest suggestion was karaoke on a Friday night, realizing that what Kurt most likely needed was to get back onto a stage.

"C'mon, you used to love Callbacks!" Rachel pleaded as she continued leading him towards the old haunt they'd frequented during their NYADA days.

"That was back when cheap drinks were my only priority," he replied, ignoring the groan Rachel let out in response.

"You're just being stubborn. You _love_ karaoke, you always have."

Rachel was right, karaoke was definitely one of Kurt's favorite activities – and those nights spent at Callbacks had all turned out to be some of the best memories he had of his time at NYADA. Maybe Rachel was right about him being stubborn too – maybe the only thing keeping him from enjoying life was himself.

"Fine, fine. But I call Cher," he said with a wink.

Rachel guffawed at Kurt's terms, throwing her arms up dramatically. "You're leaving me with nothing here!" she protested. "At least let me have If I Could Turn Back Time?"

Kurt pursed his lips as he hummed in thought. "Alright, I'll allow it."

Rachel grinned, squeezing Kurt's arm gently before leaning up to place a chaste kiss to his cheek.

"Time to blow this house down!" Rachel announced, taking Kurt's hand in hers as she charged straight for Callbacks' door, Kurt laughing harder than he had in weeks as he allowed her to drag him along.

* * *

By the time the Friday of the intern karaoke outing came along Blaine was in desperate need of a drink and a night out with friends. His workload had only doubled in size as the semester progressed, showing no sign of slowing down as they got closer and closer to Thanksgiving break and the all-important midterm season. He'd landed the role of Tulsa in the drama department's fall production of _Gypsy_ \- and while his progress on "All I Need is the Girl" was coming along quite nicely, he'd need a hell of a lot more rehearsal before he would come even close to nailing his tap solo.

Things at the office were thankfully calm. Blaine had managed to calm his nerves to the point where he could actually have normal, civilized conversations with Kurt without memories of their hook up flying to the forefront of his mind. Sure, those flashes came back every now and then, particularly when he was alone in his bed at night, but Blaine had managed to keep them at bay at the workplace, and to him that was a significant improvement.

Keeping Sebastian on a firmly platonic leash proved to be more difficult than Blaine had anticipated. Sebastian had pushed for them to meet up just the two of them before their group outing in two weeks, but Blaine had held strong that it would be for the best that they go out as a group, so as not to disturb any interoffice relationship rules. Despite his pushing for a one-on-one date, Sebastian kept up his texts with Blaine. The two texted each other periodically throughout the day for the two weeks leading up to their outing, though they mostly kept to themselves at the office. By the time Friday had come around Blaine had actually found himself quite fond of Sebastian. He still wasn't sure if he was ready to take the step towards expressing romantic interest, though he was admittedly attracted to the other boy. Those around him continued to express their reluctance towards the budding relationship, which in part kept Blaine from taking the next move with Sebastian.

On the other side of the office, Jake had finally broken his weeks long silence to strike up a conversation with Marley while they were stocking the kitchen. The two had chatted briefly about their favorite types of snack foods, and Marley had been floating on cloud nine ever since.

The evening of the outing everyone agreed to go home after they got out of work to change and get ready, then meet back up at Callbacks around 8. Marley came along with Blaine to his apartment, insisting that she was far too nervous about seeing Jake outside of work to be able to get ready alone. Tina volunteered her hair and makeup services to help Marley get ready – considering Blaine would be no help in that department. Though he had helped Marley pick out an appropriate cute-but-casual dress for the occasion.

"Do you think Sebastian's going to try something tonight?" Marley asked while Tina curled her hair, both Mike and Tina leaning in to listen to Blaine's response.

He shrugged as he held up a new bow-tie/collared shirt combo to his chest, Mike wrinkling his nose at the combo, giving him a thumbs down. "Maybe. Probably. Most likely," he said halfheartedly, more focused on finding an outfit for the evening.

"Are you going to let him make a move?" asked Tina, nearly burning Marley's shoulder as she swung the curling iron a bit too quickly as her attention shifted towards Blaine.

Blaine shrugged once again. "I don't know. Maybe. Is that bad?"

The group tensed instantly, Blaine frowning at their obvious discomfort. "Oh c'mon guys, he's not that bad."

"I don't even know the guy, I'm staying out of this," Mike replied, throwing his hands in the air in surrender before returning to working on his physics paper.

"He's been a lot less… mean since you two have started texting," Marley offered up, though Tina maintained her disappointed expression.

"I still don't think he's right for you. You're like a ball of sunshine and he's a ball of… air. And darkness."

"And money," Mike chimed in, returning to his work when Tina shot him a dirty look.

Blaine rolled his eyes, closing the door to his room as he quickly changed into the shirt he'd decided on. "You guys can relax, I don't think anything will happen tonight," he called through the door.

"Are you so sure about that?" Tina called back, returning her attention to Marley's hair.

"You'll be the first to know if something does happen," Blaine replied, stepping back into the living area.

"That's all that I ask," Tina said with a nod, putting the finishing touches on Marley's curls.

The group dropped the topic of Sebastian, focusing instead on what songs Blaine and Marley would be singing. Mike and Tina wouldn't be able to join them, as they had plans to go to a movie with some of Tina's lab partners, but insisted that Blaine sing "My Heart Will Go On" in their honor, a promise he was reluctant to take on.

Marley was still a bundle of nerves when they headed out half an hour later, panicking herself over whether or not Jake would think she was a loser for not wanting to drink, or if he would think her song choices would be lame.

"For all you know he doesn't drink either, and if he thinks you singing Florence and the Machine is lame then he's not worth pursuing," Blaine reassured, reaching down to take Marley's hand in his, giving it an encouraging squeeze.

Marley blushed, laughing quietly and allowing herself to briefly rest her head on Blaine's shoulder. "Thank you. For everything. This is going to sound really cliche, but I don't know what I'd do if I hadn't met you," Marley whispered, peeking up at Blaine nervously.

He returned her smile before resting his head atop hers, patting her hand. "You would've found your way with or without me. It's just a lot more fun with me around," he teased, nudging her with his elbow.

Blaine's encouragement managed to calm Marley down a bit as they made their way to Callbacks. By the time they made it to the crowded bar Marley was bouncing on her toes, scanning the crowds for one particular face. Blaine shot a text off to their group chat, letting everyone know that he and Marley had arrived. Marley stuck faithfully by Blaine's side as he attempted to navigate his way to the bar – offering to order her a soda, but she declined, citing that caffeine would make her far more nervous than she already was. Blaine ordered a beer for himself after several minutes of attempting to catch the bartender's attention. When he finally returned to Marley's place beside the bar, drink in hand, Mercedes and Artie had just come up to join them.

"And I'll be taking that," Artie said in lieu of a greeting as he took the beer directly out of Blaine's hand.

"Hey!" Blaine protested, attempting to grab the drink back only for Artie to take a long swig, letting out a satisfied sigh.

"You promised us one free drink and I'm taking advantage of that before you forget," Artie replied, Blaine rolling his eyes but giving up his efforts nonetheless.

Blaine returned to the bar, Mercedes in tow for her own free drink, leaving Marley and Artie to gather together the rest of their group. They squeezed their way back up to the bar, Blaine attempting once again to get the bartender's attention, this time by waving a $5 bill in between his fingers. He nearly dropped the bill in his hand as an arm slid around his waist, fingers sliding through his belt loops. Blaine snapped up, intending to confront whoever had entered his personal space, biting his tongue when he realized it was Sebastian.

"Excited to see me?" Sebastian teased into Blaine's ear so he could be heard over the passionate performance of All I Want for Christmas is You blasting over the speakers.

"I thought you were some random creep," Blaine replied in warning.

"Yeah, I get that a lot," Sebastian joked, Blaine snorting before turning back to the bar. "You think you're gonna get the bartender's attention that way?" Blaine turned at Sebastian's critique. "Cute."

Sebastian moved his hand from Blaine's waist to the small of his back, pushing the other boy up closer to the bar as Sebastian leaned in and whistled, the elusive bartender glancing over to their area and nodding before heading over to their area. Sebastian ordered his own drink before turning it over to Blaine, who re-ordered his original drink as well as Mercedes drink. Sebastian quickly handed off his credit card when the bartender returned with their drinks, hushing Blaine as soon as he started protesting.

"But I promised Mercedes I'd buy her a drink!" Blaine tacked on, Sebastian shrugging before replying.

"And I want to buy you a drink, and if that means buying your friend a drink too then so be it," he said, shushing Blaine once again when he opened his mouth to protest. "Take your drink and say thank you, Sebastian, you're wonderful." Sebastian handed Blaine his drinks, the smaller boy rolling his eyes before handing Mercedes her drink.

"Thank you, Sebastian. You'll have to work harder to get that second half out of me," Blaine teased.

"I like a challenge." Sebastian winked before allowing Blaine to lead him and Mercedes back to their group.

To Blaine's surprise, Sebastian joined in on the conversation amongst his fellow interns. At the office Sebastian usually kept his distance – mainly interacting with Hunter and Kitty, but occasionally breaking off to chat with Blaine. Marley had been right, Sebastian had been less openly hostile to the other interns since he and Blaine had started texting, but he still hardly ever interacted with them. The group of five made easy conversation, discussing which songs they'd be signing up to perform. When the time came to put their names on the list to perform Marley clammed up, her nerves returning with full force.

"I don't know if I can do it… I-I've never performed in front of a crowd this big before," she said, nervously eyeing the large crowd swarming the single stage in the center of the room.

Blaine opened his mouth, intending to offer to join Marley for her first song to ease her nerves, only for another voice to beat him to the punch.

"I'll go on with you."

The group turned, inhaling sharply at the sight of Jake, cheeks warm with blush. He took a nervous sip of his beer when Marley didn't immediately respond, shifting awkwardly.

"It's cool if you don't want to do a duet though," he added, Marley quickly shaking her head.

"No, I'd really like that. To sing with you," she finally replied, the group collectively releasing the breath they'd been holding while waiting for Marley to respond.

While Marley and Jake discussed what duet they were going to go with the group backed off to give them privacy. Blaine broke away from the group briefly to go ahead and add his name to the sign up sheet, reaching for the pen sitting beside the list, only for it to be snatched just moments before he grabbed it.

"Sorry, sudden wonderful idea! Gotta get this down before I forget!" a petite brunette announced as she slid between Blaine and the sign up sheet, writing down her name and song choice and adding a gold star sticker beside her name.

"Wait… are you Rachel Berry?" Blaine asked, remembering the detail about Rachel Berry's love for gold star stickers from a profile he'd read about her on BroadwayWorld.

"The one and only!" the girl – Rachel – said with a flourish as she turned to face Blaine. "And you are?" she asked with a quirked eyebrow.

"No one important, just a huge fan," Blaine stammered out, doing his best to conceal his excitement and not come off as a creepy fan. "Your story really inspired me. I'm a senior at NYU, and I'm from Ohio too – Westerville, actually. You're such a talented performer, and everything you've said about being from a small town has given me so much hope," he gushed, realizing that he was rambling but not finding the energy to stop himself.

Rachel was glowing at Blaine's praise, her fingers clasped together tightly as she beamed at her newfound fan. "Thank you so much, you're so sweet!" Her eyes lit up as she suddenly reached into her bag, rifling through the contents before pulling out an autographed copy of her head shot. "Here – I always carry extras around in case I run into a fan."

"Wow. Thank you," Blaine said, taking the photograph awkwardly, realizing he had nowhere to put it so he'd have to carry it in his hand for the rest of the night.

"We should take a picture together too!" Rachel insisted. Blaine glanced over his shoulder, realizing he was now further away from his group than he'd thought.

"I'd love to, but I lost track of my friends. Would you mind if it was a selfie?"

"Nonsense – I have someone who can take it!" Rachel assured, motioning for Blaine to remain where he was while she dove back into the crowd.

Blaine took the opportunity to quickly add himself to the sign-up sheet before Rachel returned, tugging someone along behind her.

"C'mon, take a picture of me with my fan – what did you say your name was?" Rachel asked, leaning in towards Blaine.

"Blaine?" asked another voice, answering Rachel's question.

The two watched as Kurt stepped forward, holding Rachel's hand in a death grip. Rachel winced as Kurt's hold on her tightened, looking in confusion between the two.

"H-hi," Blaine managed to choke out, his body slowly falling into shock. Kurt had been the last person he'd expected to run into tonight, and was probably the last person he wanted to see tonight of all nights.

Rachel cleared her throat as Kurt and Blaine continued staring aghast at one another, both of them still reeling from the unexpected encounter.

"Rachel, this is Blaine," Kurt finally said, his voice lowering down to a whisper when he next spoke. "One of my interns this semester."

Rachel's eyes widened as she turned slowly to look at Blaine once again, her lips parting in a silent gasp. Blaine swallowed hard at Rachel's reaction. She knew. She knew what had happened between him and Kurt, the look on her face said it all. He felt himself growing warm, tugging at his collar nervously as they all remained silent, no one sure of what to say in such a moment.

"Funny seeing you here," Blaine said with a nervous laugh, Rachel and Kurt echoing the sentiment with nervous laughs of their own.

"The world is just too small, isn't it?" Kurt replied through gritted teeth.

"I have to go to the bathroom. Rain check on that photo?" Rachel announced without waiting for a reply, Kurt cursing under his breath as she vanished before he could snatch her back.

"I-I can leave if you want," Blaine offered, shifting in on himself.

"No, no, of course you don't have to leave. We're adults, this doesn't have to be weird," he assured, though he didn't sound very confident in that himself.

Blaine bit his lip, unsure of what to say next. They both glanced around them, debating whether to end the already immensely awkward conversation. Just when they thought they'd established a solid working relationship they had to run into one another and shatter all of the progress they'd made.

"So you're friends with Rachel Berry, that's pretty cool," Blaine offered in an attempt at making civil conversation.

"She's my roommate, actually," Kurt replied.

Blaine's brows raised at this reveal – Kurt's comment the night they spent together about having a 'complicated' living situation suddenly made sense.

"So there really wasn't a boyfriend away on business?" Blaine teased, his body relaxing a bit when Kurt laughed in response.

"Definitely no boyfriend. Just two people platonically sharing a studio since it's all they could afford in Manhattan," he replied, visibly relaxing as well. "So what brings you to Callbacks?"

"I'm actually here with some of the other interns," Blaine said, glancing to his left and catching sight of Marley and Jake rejoining the rest of the group on the other side of the room.

"That's really great," Kurt said sweetly, his smile faltering when Sebastian slid up beside Blaine, wrapping an arm around the smaller boy's shoulders.

"I thought we'd lost you there for a second," Sebastian teased, bumping his hip against Blaine's. "Oh, hey Kurt," Sebastian greeted nonchalantly once he caught sight of Kurt.

Blaine tensed under Sebastian's hold, his eyes flying from Sebastian to Kurt and back again. He wriggled under Sebastian's arm, the other boy only lowering his hold down from Blaine's shoulder to his waist. Blaine's eyes widened as he watched Kurt's eyes focus in on the hand now resting on his waist, beginning to push Sebastian back towards their group.

"We should go – have a good rest of the night!" Blaine said quickly, un-looping himself from Sebastian and guiding him back to their group before anyone else decided to wander over and join them.

Blaine cast one quick glance over his shoulder, his chest tightening at the hurt expression on Kurt's face. Or maybe he was just overthinking things. Why would Kurt care if he was out with somebody else? Blaine tried to tell himself he wouldn't have minded if the roles had been reversed and Blaine had seen Kurt on what was possibly a date, but he knew it was a lie. Even so, Kurt had given Blaine no indication that he was still interested in him – and it was just flattery on Blaine's part for him to think that there was.

What concerned Blaine more was the possibility of Kurt telling Emma, or even Santana, about his _very_ friendly interaction with Sebastian. Nothing had happened between them, though Sebastian had made his intentions clear. All they'd done was text, and now they were hanging out with a group of friends. There was nothing wrong with that, Blaine reasoned with himself.

"Is there a reason you look like you're going to pass out any second?" Sebastian asked warily, pulling Blaine back and holding him in place as he gave the other boy a closer look.

"I'm fine, I… I'm just worried about Kurt seeing us together," Blaine replied, which wasn't entirely a lie.

"Trust me, he won't say anything," Sebastian replied calmly, looping his arm through Blaine's and attempting to pull him forward, but Blaine held his ground.

"What do you mean?" Blaine asked sternly, not trusting Sebastian's tone.

Sebastian gave Blaine an annoyed look, attempting to tug him to keep walking, sighing when Blaine refused to move. "My dad is one of Sue Sylvester's biggest benefactors. Kurt will be out of a job faster than he can blink if he tries to start anything with me," Sebastian explained cooly, as though he was discussing the weather.

"You can't do that!" Blaine protested quickly, wrenching his arm out of Sebastian's hold. "That's not fair to him," he added, taking a step back from Sebastian this time.

"Relax, of course I'm not going to do it," Sebastian assured, reaching out to grip Blaine's shoulders. "It's just a last layer of defense." He leaned in, now whispering in Blaine's ear. "To make sure we can do whatever we want," he whispered, goosebumps raising along the back of his neck.

Blaine remained frozen, unsure of what to do or how to respond. He allowed Sebastian to tug him along, remaining silent as he rejoined the group. Sebastian kept his arm resting casually around Blaine's shoulders, chatting animatedly as though he hadn't just threatened to have their supervisor fired if he tried to get in his way. Marley shot Blaine a worried look, Blaine shifting to avoid meeting her gaze. He'd spent so much energy trying to help his friends see that Sebastian wasn't a villain, but something in his gut now told him that he'd been wrong all along.

"I need another drink," Blaine announced, cutting off whatever Sebastian was saying before he stormed off towards the bar.

Sebastian continued on with his story, not noticing the strange looks his audience were exchanging. Marley broke away unnoticed, clamoring to catch up to Blaine at the packed bar.

"Is everything okay?" Marley asked once she'd finally caught up to Blaine. Blaine nodded, but remained silent. "Do you want to tell me what happened?" she added.

Blaine focused his attention on getting his next drink while he processed everything that had just occurred. Should he bother telling Marley that he'd run into Kurt? Or tell her about Sebastian's vague threat? He decided against it, not wanting to get Marley involved in his own personal drama. She was already nervous enough without having him to worry about.

"Don't worry about me, I'm going to be fine. I just want to have another drink and have fun with my friends," he assured her, giving her a genuine smile.

Marley seemed hesitant, but returned the smile nonetheless. She remained by his side while he got his second drink, staying close by as they returned to their friends. She stood firmly between Blaine and Sebastian, keeping the two a safe distance apart, for which Blaine was grateful. He downed his second drink faster than he should have, finishing it off in three large gulps. By the time he'd set the now empty beer bottle aside on a nearby counter he'd begun to relax again. The tension in his shoulders began to fade as he chatted with Mercedes, Marley continuing to stand her ground, wedged between Blaine and Sebastian.

Mercedes convinced Blaine to join her for a third and fourth drink as they waited for their time to perform, more of his inhibitions melting away with each passing minute. Marley eyed his fourth drink nervously, tugging on his arm when Artie tossed around the idea of buying a round of shots for everyone.

"I'll pass," he said, turning down Artie's offer.

The rest of the group gladly took up Artie's suggestion, with the exception of Marley, of course. Sebastian, Mercedes, and Jake joined Artie at the bar, while Marley attempted to tug Blaine into a more secluded corner of the now completely packed space.

"Are you sure you're feeling alright?" Marley asked, more insistent this time that she get an appropriate answer. Blaine had certainly appeared to no longer be bothered by whatever had happened earlier, but she was still concerned by the speed at which he was downing his drinks.

"I told you, I'm fine. I just… saw someone from my past earlier, and it rattled me. But everything is fine now," he assured her one last time, taking her hand in his and giving it a squeeze.

Marley opened her mouth to reply, only for the ear splitting screech of microphone feedback to cut through the room, the crowd of hundreds falling silent. A lanky blonde man took the stage, attempting to make a joke about the interruption that was met with more grumbles than laughter. With a nervous laugh he turned his attention back to the clipboard in his hand.

"Well everyone, it looks like we've had two people sign up to sing the same song tonight – and you know what that means!" he said with more excitement, regaining his confidence as the audience lit up at his announcement.

"What's going on?" Marley asked nervously, the crowd around them erupting into cheers.

Callbacks was infamously known for its intricate set of rules when it came to song choice. Blaine had done his best to brief Marley and the others on as many rules as he could recall, but he had forgotten to mention the most important rule of all. If any two people on the sign up sheet had the same song choice it would then have to become a duet. This was a rule set in place to keep from weighing the night down with too many repeats of the same handful of karaoke classics, but had proved to be an exciting event every time it did come around. Rumor had it that Bernadette Peters and Sutton Foster once had to duet together after they both refused to give up their original choice of Don't Cry for Me Argentina.

The crowd was abuzz, some people already applauding in anticipation while others speculated about what the song would be. A small group began a "Duet" chant – the chant spreading further and further throughout the room until everyone surrounding them was chanting along and stomping their feet. Marley looked around her nervously at first, but quickly caught on, even joining in on the chant as the crowd thrummed with excitement.

"Now joining us on the stage – drum-roll please," the announcer said with a flourish, a group seated at the bar beginning to bang their hands on the wooden counter tops in a makeshift drum roll. "Blaine Anderson and Kurt Hummel singing Love is a Battlefield!" the announcer shouted, the crowd erupting into applause and cheers.

Marley leapt up in excitement at the announcement of Blaine's name, squeezing his arm and cheering as his eyes widened in surprise. Both of them froze when his duet partner was announced.

"As in… our Kurt?" Marley questioned, but it was impossible for Blaine to hear her over the roar of the cheers.

Out of the corner of his eye Blaine could see Mercedes, Artie, and even Jake cheering him on, screaming themselves hoarse as they encouraged him to head to the stage. Sebastian had his arms crossed over his chest, his somber expression standing out amongst the excited crowd. He shot Blaine a look of what could've been disgust, disappointment, anger, or any combination of the three.

"You don't have to do this if you don't want to," Marley shouted in his ear over the voices surrounding them.

Blaine shook his head, glancing around the ground for any sight of Kurt. He inched his way towards the stage, the crowd around him pushing him forward once they realized he was one half of the duet. By the time Blaine reached the stage there was still no sight of Kurt. Blaine felt his cheeks go hot, realizing that Kurt may have taken the smarter route and chosen not to come up to the stage at all.

"Looks like someone's duet partner is shy," the announcer teased, patting Blaine on the shoulder roughly.

The crowd continued its chant, louder than before as they encouraged Kurt to find his way to the stage. Blaine was still scanning the crowd for any sight of him when he felt a tap on his shoulder. Blaine turned, breathing a sigh of relief at the sight of Kurt standing behind him. Over Kurt's shoulder, at the staircase to the stage, was Rachel, paler than a ghost.

"World keeps getting smaller," Blaine said, quietly enough that only Kurt would be able to hear him.

The taller boy was clearly just as nervous as Blaine felt. He smiled faintly at Blaine's words, nodding his head. The crowd went wild once the duet partners had finally taken the stage, their chant morphing into multiple cheers of excitement. The host handed them their mics before exiting the stage, the small TV screen before Kurt and Blaine counting down from 10. Blaine could see Rachel give the two a nervous thumbs up out of the corner of his eye. Marley had managed to push her way up closer to the stage, giving Blaine a more encouraging thumbs up. Thankfully Blaine had lost sight of Sebastian and the others, saving himself the grief of having to break his eyes away from the upset look on Sebastian's face.

"If you back out of this I won't hold it against you," Kurt said, leaning in closer to Blaine so he could hear him over the cheers.

Blaine briefly considered Kurt's offer – but he knew there was no chance that he'd be able to walk off that stage without being booed within an inch of his life. Getting to take part in a Callbacks duet was considered an honor by many, and leaving Kurt to stand up there alone would be a slap in the face.

"I'm not backing out. You'll just have to show me if that NYADA degree is worth all the hype," he replied.

Kurt didn't have time to respond, as the timer ticked down the final three seconds, giving Blaine a grateful smile before returning his attention to the screen.

Blaine knew all the lyrics to Pat Benatar's Love is a Battlefield by heart – making it one of his top ten karaoke go-tos. He was known amongst his friends for letting himself go during karaoke nights, singing his heart out and dancing without abandon. He knew he wouldn't be able to give his usual performance, and figured he could focus his eyes on the lyric screen to keep himself grounded. Plus, it gave him a reason not to glance over to his duet partner, who was wearing yet another sinfully tight pair of leather pants, this time in fire-engine red. Blaine allowed his eyes to linger on Kurt for just one last moment as the opening chords of the song began to play, admiring the soft glow that surrounded him in the dim lighting of the stage. He would've compared him to an angel if it weren't for those pants, which were anything but pure.

 _We are young…_

Blaine focused his attention back on the screen, the hairs on the back of his neck standing on end as he and Kurt's voices blended together in almost perfect harmony. Kurt's voice was higher than Blaine had anticipated, the other boys countertenor complimenting his own tenor better than he would've thought.

 _Heartache to heartache we stand…_

Blaine did his best to focus in on the melody of Kurt's voice, but the crowd had erupted into cheers once again when the song had begun, making it difficult to discern where Kurt's voice began and his own ended. He fought back the urge to allow his eyes to slide closed and give in to the music the way he typically would, instead keeping them trained on the screen in front of him, still giving his best vocally but holding in the passion and theatrics.

His concentration on the screen was broken when he caught sight of a hand waving in front of him. It was Marley, frantically trying to get Blaine's attention. Blaine's brow furrowed as he locked eyes with her. She attempted to mouth something to him, then tried hand gestures – making it difficult for Blaine to keep up with the song and decipher her code at the same time. He faltered for a moment, letting Kurt sing one line on his own as he took a second to figure out what Marley was trying to say, the crowd thankfully not noticing his slip up.

Marley let out an exasperated sigh, pointing to Blaine's left side. He peeked out of the corner of his eye, nervous as to what Marley needed him to see. It became immediately apparent.

In his intense concentration on the screen Blaine had neglected to notice that Kurt had taken center stage. It seemed he also knew the lyrics by heart, as his eyes had slid closed and he had thrown his head back as he belted out the lyrics to the chorus. He was completely lost in the music, his body moving in perfect time with the beat, the same way he had on the dance floor at Scandals. He was a sight to behold, and the audience knew it. A smaller section of the crowd had specifically gathered around Kurt, crowding his side of the stage as they clamored to get closer to this astounding performer. He was just as intoxicating as Blaine had remembered – his body a temple, and his voice a work of art that he could spend pages and pages writing about and still never come close to describing.

This was what Marley had needed him to see. Blaine, rigid and constrained, next to this electric boy wasn't doing their duet justice. He shot Marley a wink before joining Kurt in the center of the stage. Finally, Blaine allowed himself to join Kurt in his musical realm – allowing the lyrics to sink into his skin, and the emotion and power behind them to flow through him as he gave himself completely over to the music.

 _Both of us knowing…_

Kurt and Blaine continued to sing their hearts out, their performances now on the same level of energy, but distinctly separate. Blaine kept his eyes on the crowd and focused on his own performance, knowing that if he turned to look at Kurt he would fall under the other boys spell, the same way he had when he'd watched him dance. Blaine felt a hand slide through his, pulling him further in to the center of the stage. He turned, surprised to find Kurt's eyes locked with his, their fingers smoothly slotting together. Blaine felt chills run down his spine as the two continued their ballad, this time their attention solely focused on one another. Kurt released Blaine's hand and slowly began to circle the other boy, Blaine matching his pace as he circled in the opposite direction. The crowds cheers fell on deaf ears as the world around the two boys melted away – all they saw and heard was the music and each other. Unsurprisingly, they had the same chemistry vocally as they did on the dance floor.

Kurt stepped forward, taking Blaine's hand back in his as they got to the closing lines. The only thing keeping their bodies apart was their interlaced fingers, resting between them.

 _Love is a battlefield…_

The crowd went wild as the song came to a close, Blaine sheepishly releasing Kurt's hand and turning to give a bow to the audience. He gestured his arms to Kurt, encouraging the other boy to step forward and have his moment in the spotlight. Kurt shook his head, mumbling some excuse under his breath before attempting to exit the stage. Blaine ran up to him, taking him by the shoulders and guiding him back towards center stage before stepping away, allowing the audience to give its loudest applause yet for Kurt. The taller boy blushed as he smiled shyly, taking a quick bow and waving to the crowd before quickly darting off of the stage. Blaine, still under the spell of Kurt's performance, stood by blindly applauding as he watched Kurt exit. He snapped back to reality when the announcer stormed the stage, huffing after having to push through the crowds to get back to his rightful place.

Blaine exited the stage unnoticed, attempting to find Kurt again amongst the crowd. He stood on the tips of his toes, scanning the crowd for any sight of Kurt or Rachel, jumping slightly when he felt a hand on his arm.

"Blaine, that was amazing!" Marley praised, tugging Blaine's arm in excitement.

"Thank you," he replied absent-mindedly, moving swiftly when he finally caught sight of Kurt close to the front door. "Sorry, I'll catch up with you guys in a minute," he said before pulling out Marley's hold and making a beeline for the front door, pushing past the closely packed bodies with murmured apologies.

By the time he'd reached the front door Kurt had disappeared once again. He groaned, running a hand through his hair, grimacing as he realized his natural curls had begun to break free from their gel prison. He pushed the door open, exiting Callbacks and scanning the nearly empty block. He caught sight of a figure leaning against a storefront a few buildings over, breathing a sigh of relief when he realized it was Kurt.

"Kurt!" Blaine called out, his heart catching in his throat as Kurt looked up at him, his eyes bright and his cheeks still flushed.

"Sorry I left you up there alone. I just needed some air," Kurt mumbled as Blaine finally caught up to him, his voice high and a bit breathless.

"I need you to know that you're incredible," Blaine blurted out before Kurt had even finished his apology.

Kurt's eyes widened as he turned back up to look at Blaine. He attempted to respond but all that came out was a choked sound, his hand quickly flying to cover his mouth in embarrassment. "W-what?" he finally responded, lowering his shaking hand to his side.

"That performance was unlike anything I've ever seen. The way you just give yourself over entirely to the music... it's amazing. _You're_ amazing," Blaine praised. He could ramble on and on about how Kurt's performance was a form of artistry on another level from anyone he'd ever seen perform live – and this had only been at a karaoke bar. He could hardly imagine what it would be like to see Kurt perform on a stage all his own.

Perhaps his praise crossed the unseen, undefined line that they had formed between one another, but Blaine couldn't find it in himself to care. Kurt had a way of moving and singing and speaking that was almost other wordly. Blaine had seen hundreds of people perform over the years, and yet nothing had come close to the way watching Kurt had made him feel. What Kurt had was a rare gift and it deserved to be praised, lines be damned.

Kurt blinked up at Blaine, inhaling deeply as his eyes fell back to the ground between them. Blaine blushed, realizing he might have just made an enormous ass out of himself by putting Kurt on the spot. He took a step back, putting some space between them.

"I'm sorry. I just wanted you to know that," he said quietly before heading back towards Callbacks.

"Wait!" Kurt called out, Blaine quickly turning back, his heart pounding at the sight of Kurt rushing towards him.

Kurt closed the distance between them, knocking the wind out of Blaine as he pressed his body flush against Blaine's and crashed their lips together. Kurt's hands flew to Blaine's waist, holding the smaller boy steady. Once Blaine had a moment to process what was happening his hands cupped the sides of Kurt's jaw, pulling him in closer and deepening the kiss.

Blaine was half convinced that he'd taken a fall while exiting the stage and that this was all some kind of concussed fever dream. Kurt's lips were still as smooth and warm as Blaine had remembered, but this time coated with the taste of honey. His tongue dragged slowly across Blaine's lower lip, asking for permission before Blaine gladly granted him entrance. Blaine's thumb dragged along the sharp edge of Kurt's jaw, his hold on him relaxing slightly as the need to breathe began to creep up on him. Blaine regretfully broke the kiss off, their lips parting with a wet smack but their faces still inches apart, held close by Blaine's hold on Kurt's neck. Their breath came out in ragged puffs, intermingling in the space between them, their lips pink and kiss-swollen. Anyone could've walked out at any moment and caught the two in each others arms, but neither could find the strength in themselves to break their hold.

"You're so beautiful," Blaine whispered before leaning in to kiss Kurt once more, silencing the quiet gasp on the other boy's lips.

Blaine's hands fell from Kurt's jaw as the taller boy wrapped his arms around Blaine's neck, somehow pulling them in even closer together. Blaine's palms fell to rest on Kurt's hips, his thumbs digging roughly into the skin. Their moment was shattered by the sound of someone clearing their throat, the two immediately flying apart. Their hands were shaking as they took several steps back from one another, Kurt breathing a sigh of relief at the sight of Rachel, her arms crossed and a wicked smirk playing at her lips.

"Having a good time, boys?" she teased, Kurt glaring daggers right through her.

"We're leaving. Now," he commanded, almost growling as he grabbed Rachel roughly by the arm and began to drag her away.

"Have a nice night, Blaine!" Rachel called out over her shoulder, Kurt pulling her along more quickly.

Blaine gave Rachel a weak wave as he watched Kurt drag her away. He remained frozen, waiting until Kurt and Rachel disappeared around the corner before grinning like an idiot. He sighed dreamily, taking in several deep breaths and savoring the lingering heat and taste of Kurt's lips on his before slowly making his way back to Callbacks. He could worry in the morning about the semantics of his feelings for Kurt, ideally with Mike and Tina around for guidance. Tonight would be for happiness, and giddiness, and basking in the warm glow of kissing the most beautiful boy in New York City _._


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Extra early chapter since I'm headed off to a work retreat beginning tomorrow, and I have tickets to some shows throughout the weekend! Thank you so much for the kind words, you're all so wonderfully sweet!**

* * *

The silence stretched between Kurt and Rachel for three stops before she finally spoke up.

"He seems nice," she said quietly, peeking at Kurt through the curtain of her hair.

Her roommate had made it very clear he didn't want to discuss the kiss Rachel had walked in on as he dragged her away from Callbacks, shushing her every time she tried to bring it up. This was the most she was actually able to get out since they'd gotten on the train. Kurt shifted his crossed arms, his brow furrowed in thought but he continued to ignore Rachel. She sighed, shifting to the seat directly beside him, nudging her shoulder against his.

"Please talk to me," she pleaded.

Kurt sighed, leaning his head back against the subway map behind him, grimacing when he lifted himself back up and realized he'd leaned on something sticky.

"Just my luck," he muttered as Rachel handed him a tissue to wipe off his hand. "This night needs to be over," he spat, crossing his arms once again and turning his body to face away from Rachel.

"You seemed so happy twenty minutes ago — what changed?" Rachel continued on, wanting to get to the bottom of Kurt's apparent moodswing.

In truth, she'd been elated to find Kurt in Blaine's arms, though she'd had her reservations about him at first. When Kurt had introduced Blaine as one of his interns she immediately understood what had gone wrong between them, and why Kurt had chosen to keep the matter to himself. Before she could press Kurt for more details the two had been called up to the stage and delivered a performance so hot it had made even Rachel blush. She'd tried to track Kurt down after their performance to raise her eyebrows at their undeniable chemistry — but as luck should have it, they'd already decided to act on that undeniable chemistry.

"I was kissing someone. That doesn't mean I was happy about it," Kurt replied bitterly.

"Then you did an awful job of looking unhappy about it, considering you had your tongue down his throat," she mocked, a bit of edge in her voice as she started to reach her wit's end with Kurt, not understanding why he was being so stand-offish.

Kurt hummed in response, standing up as they reached their stop and charged forward, not waiting for Rachel to catch up to him. Rachel gave him the gift of silence as they walked the short half block back to their apartment, prepared to corner him once they got inside. Kurt threw the door open and immediately went for the bathroom, Rachel darting forward and blocking his path.

"Oh no, you're not hiding from this conversation anymore," she warned, arms stretched over the entrance to the bathroom.

"I'm not hiding from this conversation, I just don't want to talk about what happened," he replied with a groan, turning back around and collapsing onto the couch.

"Kurt, can you please stop hiding whatever's going on from me? I'm your best friend, I want you to be happy, and you seemed really, _really_ happy back there." Rachel sat tentatively on the arm of the couch, watching with a frown as Kurt buried his face in one of the throw pillows.

The silence was broken by the muffled sound of a sniffle, followed by a sob. Rachel tensed as she watched Kurt's back muscles shift and heave as he was wracked by sobs. She gave him a moment to let out his emotions undisturbed before kneeling on the carpeted floor beside the couch, running her hand in soothing circles along his back.

"You don't have to talk about it now, but I'm here to listen whenever you're ready," she whispered, Kurt sniffling and nodding.

Once his sobs had subsided into hiccups and whimpers he lifted himself back up, pulling his knees to his chest and rubbing at his tear-stained cheeks.

"I'm sorry I'm being so ridiculous about this," he apologized, scooting over on the couch to give Rachel room to sit beside him.

"You can't help the way you feel," Rachel assured, sitting beside Kurt and draping the quilt laying on the arm of the couch over their shoulders. She leaned in closer to her roommate, looping her arm through his. "I can make you some tea?"

Kurt nodded, giving her a watery smile. She patted his hand before heading off to the kitchen to prepare the tea. She kept a close eye on him as she boiled some water, watching as he pulled out his phone and stared aimlessly at the screen, locking and unlocking it a frustrating number of times. When she returned with two steaming mugs his eyes were still glued to the screen, fingers hovering over the keyboard.

"What're you doing?" she asked warily, pushing Kurt's mug towards him.

"I shouldn't text him, right? That would be a bad idea… Right?" he asked, locking his phone and tossing it aside.

"You still haven't told me what's really going on between you two, so I don't know if it's a bad idea," she replied with a raised eyebrow, Kurt shooting her a dirty look.

Kurt took a long sip of his tea, his face scrunching up as the scalding hot beverage burned his throat and tongue. He gave himself a moment to recover before sheepishly wrapping his arms around his legs, tucking his chin atop his knees.

"I've spent so much of the past few months waiting for the day to be over. I haven't looked forward to something since college, and everyday I wonder if going in to work is worth it, if I wasted all my time and money at NYADA and now I'm going to be drowning in student loans and working as an assistant for the rest of my life. I'm convinced that I've peaked and everything's just going to be downhill from here, and that all of the movies and the books and the TV shows lied, and life is _so_ much harder than I could've imagined that the thought of doing this routine for ten or twenty or thirty more years makes me sick," Kurt said in one, watery breath, his voice threatening to crack at any moment.

"Oh, Kurt," Rachel responded quietly, leaning forward to wrap her arms around him, but he held his hand up, indicating that he wasn't finished. She leaned back in her chair, nodding for him to continue.

"Blaine makes me feel…" Kurt trailed off, fingers mindlessly tugging at a loose thread on the throw blanket.

"Makes you feel what?" Rachel asked, leaning in, hanging on to Kurt's every word.

"That's it. He makes me feel. He makes me feel excited, and nervous, and wanted, and sexy, and talented, and beautiful, and so, so terrified. I haven't felt this way about someone in so long, and of course he's the one person that shouldn't make me feel this way."

Tears slid down Kurt's face as he spoke, Rachel coming over to sit with him again, wiping his tears away and pushing his head down to rest on her shoulder. She carded her fingers through his hair, carefully so as not to disrupt the style, lest he bite her hand off.

"He's just an intern though, right? What about when the semester ends and he doesn't work with you guys anymore?" Rachel offered.

"That's weeks away — what would I do? Ask him to wait around for me for almost three months?"

Rachel shrugged. "You could, it's not an outrageous thing to ask for. If he likes you as much as I think he does he won't mind waiting a few months."

Kurt straightened up, eyes wide. "You think he likes me?" he asked quietly, cheeks flushing when Rachel laughed in response.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to laugh," she apologized, waiting until her laughter had subsided before continuing. "That boy looks at you the way a puppy looks at his owner when they finally come home. It's pretty obvious," Rachel teased, Kurt ducking his head sheepishly against her shoulder.

"I think he was on a date with someone else tonight," he mumbled, suddenly remembering Sebastian Smythe sliding up to Blaine, wrapping his arm around the other boys waist and making Kurt's stomach twist into knots.

"Why do you say that?"

"He came up to him and put his arms around him. He's another one of our interns — the most obnoxious one at that," Kurt said with a roll of his eyes.

"Is he allowed to be dating another intern?" Rachel asked with a confused look.

"Probably not, but considering I launched myself at him tonight dating another intern is the least scandalous thing he's gotten up to."

Rachel shifted herself from underneath Kurt, pulling her roommate up by the shoulders and holding him steady. "I'm giving you my blessing to go after this guy if that's what you want," she said sternly.

Kurt groaned, getting off the couch and walking to the kitchen. "You only like him because he recognized you."

"That just proves that he has amazing taste!" she called out to him.

Kurt slumped against the kitchen counter, pulling his phone out of his pocket and staring at the darkened screen.

"I'm not going to text him," he said with a sense of finality, placing his phone in a kitchen drawer and wiping his hands of the matter.

"You're sure?" Rachel asked cautiously, disappointed by the direction Kurt's decisions were taking him.

"No. But I need to sleep on it. I'm on a performance and crying high so I'm not in the headspace to make these kinds of decisions."

Rachel shrugged, finishing off the last of her tea. "If you say so." She picked up Kurt's mug and placed it in his hands firmly. "Drink the rest of your tea and go to bed, or else you're going to be up the rest of the night overthinking this," she warned.

Kurt nodded in agreement, finishing off the last of his tea and joining Rachel in getting ready for bed. Despite her warning him not to, Kurt naturally wound up spending half the night tossing and turning. Every time sleep began to overwhelm his groggy limbs his mind would be bombarded by thoughts of Blaine and the way Blaine made him feel and what pursuing Blaine could mean for him. The past several months had been hell, and something as simple as being in a relationship with Blaine could ruin everything he'd been working for. Sue would surely send him packing, and make sure he was blacklisted at every theatre company within a 100 mile radius of the city — which would leave him out of a job, out of a steady income, still drowning in student loan debt, and without the prospect of kickstarting his acting career. But he would have Blaine. His mind raced with thoughts of workarounds and loopholes before finally crashing at around 3am, his body too exhausted to produce anymore scenarios for him to walkthrough.

By the time morning — or afternoon really — came along, Kurt had made his decision. He peeked at the bed, ensuring that Rachel was still fast asleep, snoring away. He padded quietly into the kitchen and pulled open the drawer where he'd hid phone, heart leaping into his throat at the sight of a new text message from Blaine. He swallowed hard, unlocking his phone and staring at the new message notification, but refusing the open the message. He groaned, resting his head on the cool marble of the kitchen counter.

"Rachel!" he called out, Rachel sitting up with a gasp, her sleep mask knocked askew.

"What's going on?! Are we being robbed?!" she yelled, struggling to pry the sleep mask off her face.

Kurt hushed her as he quickly ran up to her, assuring her that everything was alright. He sat on the edge of the bed, urging her to take breaths with him until she'd calmed herself down.

"What's so important that you needed to wake me up from my beauty rest?" she protested with a pout.

Kurt shoved his phone into her hand, wanting to get the dreaded device as far away from him as he could, so as not to give in to his temptations.

"Blaine texted me and I need you to read it." Rachel gave him an odd look, opening her mouth to protest. "Please, Rach," he pleaded, the look in his eyes enough for Rachel to comply with a dramatic sigh.

Kurt bit down roughly on his lip as he watched Rachel open up the text message. Her expression was unreadable as her eyes scanned the screen, Kurt surprised by the length of the message. Her lips pressed into a tight line as she finished reading and looked back up at Kurt, a sad flicker in her eyes.

"Is it bad?" he asked sheepishly. Rachel shook her head. "He didn't say anything mean or that he regretted what happened?" Another shake.

Rachel had to bite down on her tongue to keep herself from just telling Kurt what the message had said.

"Okay… Now I need you to delete his number," Kurt instructed sternly.

"What?!" Rachel protested, sitting up straight and attempting to hand Kurt back his phone.

"I need you to do this for me, Rachel!" Kurt protested, pushing his phone back towards her, the two battling over the phone until it fell onto the carpeted floor.

"You're just going to delete his number without reading what he said?" Rachel asked as she leaned down to scoop up Kurt's phone.

"I made up my mind. There's too much at stake if we try to make this work, and reading that text is just going to make this harder," he insisted.

Rachel sighed — unfortunately, Kurt had a valid point. With a heavy heart she had Kurt unlock his phone once more. She deleted Blaine's number as Kurt requested, shoving his phone back as soon as the deed was done.

"For the record I don't support this decision," she said before pulling her sleep mask back over her eyes.

"I know," Kurt murmured as he lifted himself up, leaving Rachel to return to sleep.

Kurt tossed his phone carelessly onto the couch as he began to pace the living room, biting down on the skin of his thumb — a nasty habit of his that only decided to rear its ugly head whenever he was under extreme stress. He stifled back a groan as he threw himself back onto the couch, reaching for his phone and a pair of headphones. He cranked up the volume on the first song that came up on shuffle and closed his eyes, allowing the blaring music to drown out the millions of thoughts and protests and concerns that had weighed him down. By the time the third song came around he'd convinced himself that he didn't care about Blaine or what the text message had said anymore.

* * *

"So he kissed _you_ , right?" Mike asked for clarification.

"He did," Blaine replied.

"You definitely didn't make the first move?" Tina chimed in, her eyes narrowed in thought.

Blaine rolled his eyes, throwing his hands up in the air. "For the hundredth time, yes! He definitely kissed me first, it was all him. Is that so hard to believe?" he pouted, crossing his arms childishly.

Mike and Tina turned to each other, communicating with their eyes before turning back to Blaine.

"Yes," they replied simultaneously.

"Thanks for the support, guys." Blaine tossed the couch pillow beside him in the general direction of where Mike and Tina sat at the kitchen table.

The two swiftly dodged the flying cushion, Mike lobbing the pillow back and nailing Blaine right in the head. "Can you blame us? According to you he's the one who insists on the whole being friends thing," Mike protested.

Mike had a fair point. The last thing Blaine had expected Kurt to do in response to his praise of his performance was pull him in for a kiss he hadn't realized he'd been longing for. It had taken Blaine several minutes to recover from the surprise embrace, fighting back giggles as he made his way back into Callbacks. He pinched himself lightly as he made his way back to his group, just to ensure that this wasn't a frustratingly detailed dream.

"And weren't you kind-of, sort-of on a date with Sebastian?" Tina added.

Unfortunately, returning to Sebastian had been the unpleasant twist in the night that had solidified that this all definitely wasn't a dream. Upon returning to his group of friends Blaine was showered with praise from Mercedes, Artie, and Jake. Marley shot suspicious looks at Blaine out of the corner of her eye, curious as to why he had disappeared so suddenly after his performance. Sebastian had somehow managed to slip away from the group unnoticed, Blaine too distracted to even notice his absence. Blaine did his best to brush off their praise humbly, accepting their insistent compliments with a shy smile. Thankfully, the group's attention shifted off of him when Marley and Jake were finally called to the stage for their duet.

Everyone turned their attention to Marley and Jake, who decided to play it safe and go with Neon Trees' Everybody Talks for their duet choice, not wanting to choose anything 'sappy' — as Jake had put it. They had barely made it through the opening notes of their duet when Blaine felt a hand on his shoulder. He jumped in surprise, body tensing as he turned swiftly to face whoever had approached him. He breathed a sigh of relief at the sight of Sebastian, notably less sour-faced than he had been watching Blaine's duet.

"You really need to stop doing that before you give me a heart attack," Blaine warned, resting a hand on his heaving chest as he struggled to calm down his racing heart.

"Sorry, just needed to make sure I got your attention. Can I talk to you in private for a second?" Sebastian asked, gesturing towards a more secluded table closer to the back of the room.

Blaine swallowed hard, but nodded regardless. While the thought of heading somewhere private with Sebastian made him uneasy, his polite nature kept him from thinking of an appropriate lie to turn him down gently. Blaine wrung his hands nervously as they made their way to the back of the room, keeping his attention focused on Marley and Jake in the meantime. They really did sound wonderful together, and the bashful looks they shot each other from their respective places across the stage painted the perfect picture of innocent first love.

"So, what's up?" Blaine asked as he took a seat at the table, keeping a fair amount of distance between them.

The hairs on the back of Blaine's neck stood on end when Sebastian's hand quickly went to rest on his thigh, his thumb resting dangerously close to his inner thigh. Blaine tensed, shifting uncomfortably beneath Sebastian's touch, peeking up at the other boy with flushed cheeks.

"Watching you up there… It was so hot," he whispered, Blaine not realizing how close their faces were until Sebastian was leaning in to close the distance between them.

Blaine turned his head away just in time for Sebastian to miss his lips, instead planting a kiss on the edge of Blaine's jaw. The other boy took this as encouragement, dusting his lips up along Blaine's jaw until they were grazing over the shell of his ear. Blaine pulled away properly, leaning as far back as he could in his seat, keeping Sebastian in place by lightly grabbing his arms.

"What's the matter, babe?" Sebastian asked with a quirked eyebrow, Blaine wincing internally at the pet name.

"I-I — I'm sorry. I just… I don't know if we should be doing this," he admitted, already standing up out of his seat.

"What's your problem, Blaine?" Sebastian spat, Blaine jumping at the change in the other boy's tone. "One minute I think this whole thing is mutual and now tonight you're jumping anytime I try to come anywhere near you."

Blaine bit his lip, thinking his words over carefully before responding. "I'm just worried about Kurt being here and seeing anything happen between us."

"You didn't seem worried about him ten minutes ago," Sebastian muttered, more to himself than to Blaine.

"What're you trying to say?" Blaine responded quickly, straightening up as he stepped up to Sebastian defensively. The last thing he needed was Sebastian suspecting that something was afoot between him and Kurt.

"Your little duet. You two looked awfully cosy up there. You guys held hands for God's sake!" Sebastian shouted back, Blaine taken aback. "I thought you were mature enough to not have some pathetic schoolkid crush on our boss, but apparently you're a more convincing actor than you let on," Sebastian finished, turning on his heels to head back into the crowd.

Blaine sucked in a deep breath, putting his pride aside as he headed after Sebastian, grabbing the other boy by the wrist. Sebastian turned to glance at Blaine, the shorter boy taking the opportunity to lean up on his toes and plant his lips against Sebastian's before he could regret his split second decision. He could feel Sebastian's lips curl up into a smirk beneath his, Blaine releasing his hold on Sebastian's wrist as the two broke apart.

"I don't do crushes," Blaine said with his best attempt at a smirk.

Sebastian laughed, wrapping his arm around Blaine's waist, pulling the smaller boy closer to him. "Good. Neither do I," he said with a wink before leaning in to connect their lips once more.

"Jesus Christ Blaine you made out with two guys in one night?!" Mike exclaimed as Blaine wrapped up his explanation of the Sebastian situation.

"It was hardly making out!" Blaine protested, which wasn't a lie.

His kiss with Kurt, while certainly passionate, hadn't quite crossed the line into make out territory, if you asked him. After the second kiss Blaine had managed to keep Sebastian at bay by dragging him back towards their group of friends, insisting that they would grow suspicious if they were away for too long. Thankfully, Sebastian obliged, keeping his hands and lips to himself for the remainder of the evening — not even leaning in for a goodnight kiss as they all headed their own ways for the night.

"Remind me again why you made out with Sebastian? I thought we agreed he's a creep," Tina asked, ignoring Blaine's clarification on the making-out distinction.

Blaine sighed, slumping in his seat as he closed his eyes, Sebastian's words ringing in his ears. "His dad is one of Sue Sylvester's benefactors. He said he could have Kurt fired if he threatened to say anything about seeing us out together. If he's willing to fire Kurt over something like that who knows what he'd do if he found out he kissed me."

"You don't think he would actually have someone fired just because you were interested in them, do you?" Mike reasoned.

"He would," Tina replied, beating Blaine to the punch.

The room fell silent as the trio mulled over the situation at hand. Blaine had come to Mike and Tina the morning after the now infamous karaoke outing, only realizing how insane the situation had become once he'd said everything out loud. At the very least the night hadn't been a total loss for everyone. Marley and Jake had swapped numbers after their duet, agreeing to meet up for coffee sometime the following week — much to Marley's delight. Artie had even met someone who'd invited him to spend the night at her place, a girl named Betty that the others found rather obnoxious, but didn't have the heart to tell Artie otherwise.

Blaine had bit down on his tongue to keep himself from telling Marley everything that had happened that night — not wanting to get her anymore involved than she already was. Plus, she deserved to have her memory of the night revolve around Jake and the shy smiles and soft blushes they shared as they glanced at each other inconspicuously until they parted ways.

"Are you going to say anything to Kurt?" Mike asked, finally breaking the silence.

"I don't know if I should. That's why I came to you guys."

Mike and Tina frowned. Blaine's usual confidants had finally hit their wall. Blaine had been coming to them for the past two years for advice on the few romantic dilemmas he'd wound up in, but this was beyond their capabilities. Their shoulders heaved as they realized they'd finally have to admit defeat.

"We're going to have to pull out the big guns," Mike admitted glumly.

"The big guns?" Blaine asked cautiously.

"My gossip groupchat," Tina answered, already typing away at her phone. "I barely know who any of these people are or how I got their numbers, but they always have the best gossip and the best advice," she said without looking up from her keyboard. Within seconds her phone began to buzz and ding with incoming responses. Her frown melted into a look of horror. "They said they need time to think this one over. This is bad," she said, Mike mirroring her mortified look.

"You're in deep, dude," Mike warned, giving Blaine a look that was equal parts sympathy and pity.

Blaine groaned, pulling the pillow he'd tossed at them earlier and covering his face with it, muffling his long winded groan. He knew he'd been foolish to think he could get himself out of this situation without hurt feelings or drama, but he'd held out hope that there was at least a utilitarian option.

Mike and Tina began to brainstorm ideas for how Blaine could end things with Sebastian and prod Kurt for more details as to where he stood, most of which involved various disguises for some reason. Blaine paid them no mind as he kept the pillow over his face, taking in several deep breaths in an attempt to calm himself down. It was far too early for him to be as stressed as he was.

"For the last time, Tina, we're not going to have him commit armed robbery!" Blaine heard Mike shout once he finally tuned back in to their conversation.

Blaine lifted himself off of the couch, walking past Mike and Tina and into his room without them noticing. He closed the door behind him, muffling the sounds of their bickering. Knowing them, their argument would soon turn into a makeout session that would lead to them forgetting everything they'd just been fighting about, which was for the best.

Once safely in his room Blaine collapsed onto his bed with a groan, pulling out his phone and absentmindedly pulling up a blank text message. He hadn't deleted Kurt's number after their initial text exchange as the other boy had requested, though it would've been the smarter thing to do. Something in the back of Blaine's mind told him he may want to hold onto Kurt's number, just to be safe.

Blaine spent several minutes composing his message in the notes app, reading and re-reading, deleting and rewriting before he finally deemed it acceptable. He considered reading it over to Mike and Tina before sending, but they were already too overloaded with information to be much help. Besides, they needed a break. He bit his lip as he read over the message one last time before hitting the send button. It was by far the most vulnerable and open he'd been with Kurt, and he tried not to dwell too long on how much risk he was putting himself in. He tucked the phone under his pillow as soon as the message had delivered, moving over to his desk and focusing his attention on the pile of homework he'd been neglecting throughout the week.

* * *

In a surprising twist, things worked themselves out with little intervention on Blaine's part. Unfortunately, things hadn't gone in the direction he'd hoped for. Blaine's text to Kurt went unnoticed, no reply or acknowledgement on Kurt's end that he'd received or read the text, leaving Blaine on edge by the time Tuesday morning had rolled around. Sebastian had headed back home to Connecticut Saturday morning to cheer on his high school at their championship rugby game, thoroughly distracting him for the remainder of the weekend. It was a productive weekend, all things considered, as the lack of distractions from either Kurt or Sebastian had given him the chance to catch up on homework.

Mike and Tina had given up on finding a suitable solution for Blaine, even looping in Brittany to see if she had any input. She shrugged, saying that she'd rather keep her distance from the matter seeing as how things between her and Santana were beginning to heat up.

"We're just gonna pretend nothing's going on between you," she'd said with a nod, Blaine not blaming her or Santana for wanting to keep themselves out of things.

On Tuesday morning Blaine carefully chose his outfit and spent ten extra minutes checking his appearance in the mirror — telling himself that he wasn't trying to look good for anyone in particular and that is was totally normal to obsess over one's appearance when it came to going in to work. Sebastian had made it to the office early, already seated at his assigned desk by the time Blaine arrived. He shot Blaine a smile, but remained seated. Blaine returned the smile quickly before glancing out of the corner of his eye at where Kurt sat at his own desk. The other boy kept his eyes glued to the stack of papers in front of him, his eyes flying across the pages and scribbling frantically in a notepad. While disappointed by Kurt's lack of acknowledgement, Blaine chose not to dwell on the matter, taking his seat at his own desk instead. Kurt was by far the busiest person in the office, he was probably working on yet another project for Sue that he needed to focus his attention on.

When the rest of the interns began to file in and Kurt made it a point to look up from his work and greet them as they arrived Blaine began to suspect that something was off. He kept his suspicions to himself as the day went on, focusing on the handful of tasks Santana and Emma assigned him. Kurt handed out tasks to what seemed like everyone but him — even going to Sebastian for help with a production run. Up until that point Kurt had been avoiding Sebastian like the plague — even Sebastian looked surprised when Kurt wandered over to his desk. Blaine occasionally peeked at Kurt's desk, doing his best to remain discreet. The other boy never looked up from his desk, focused on his work until someone broke him out of his bubble.

After the interns returned from lunch Blaine noticed that Kurt wasn't at his desk, glancing around the office for any sight of him. His heart raced when he caught of Kurt alone in the kitchen — this was his chance.

"I'm going to get some water," Blaine said as he excused himself from his conversation with Artie, walking in a calm, but rushed manner into the kitchen.

Kurt didn't look up when Blaine entered the kitchen, continuing to cut off the tops of strawberries and placing them in a bowl. Blaine grabbed a glass from the cabinet over the sink and made his way to the water cooler, eyes stuck on Kurt.

"Hey," he greeted, doing his best not to sound eager.

"Hi," Kurt replied, a simple staccato note, still not looking up at Blaine.

"How's your day going?" It was a simple enough question, and not so probing as to scare Kurt off, or at least so he thought.

"Good." Kurt dumped the remainder of the carton of strawberries into his bowl haphazardly, a couple rolling off the top of the pile and dancing across the counter. He tossed his knife into the sink and darted out of the kitchen without another word, two more strawberries rolling out of the bowl and onto the ground on his way out.

Blaine realized he'd been staring at the kitchen entrance when his glass began to overflow, water spilling across the floor and the sleeve of his sweater. He cursed under his breath as he quickly cleaned up the mess, more curses falling from his lips as he dwelled on Kurt's reaction to his simple greeting. He was sure now — Kurt was avoiding him.

What was it that had changed Kurt's mind, Blaine wondered for the remainder of the day — the simple question lingering in the back of his mind throughout the week. Had it been the text he'd sent the morning after? Was it too forward, too overbearing? Was it the kiss itself? Was it not as magical, mind-blowing, mesmerizing for Kurt as it had been for Blaine? Or was there somebody else, though Kurt had previously insisted there wasn't? Had some other boy with a chiseled jaw and perfect hair and a stunning smile stepped into the picture to whisper sweet nothings in Kurt's ear and make him feel as special as he was?

Reasons and wrong turns and solutions and speculations wracked Blaine's mind day and night until the following Friday. A part of him held out hope that Kurt's cold shoulder had been the product of an off-day or bad mood, and that things would improve by the time Friday came around. Friday came and the wall between them remained. Kurt did his best to avoid Blaine in any way he could — even waiting to take his bathroom and lunch breaks until he knew Blaine was safely at his own desk. But still, Blaine held out hope that Kurt would come around. That first week turned into two weeks, which turned into three weeks, which turned into over a month.

Life went on while Kurt and Blaine remained at a standstill. All of Blaine's attempts to make contact with Kurt, no matter how miniscule, were diverted. When he had to send an email to his supervisors to let them know he'd need one Friday off for an all day _Gypsy_ tech rehearsal he'd shot the message to Kurt and CC'ed Santana. Instead of acknowledging his request Kurt forwarded it along to Emma and allowed her to handle getting his day off approved. When Kurt desperately needed someone to pick up Sue's lunch for him since he was stuck on hold with a catering company and every other intern but Blaine was preoccupied with another task Kurt ran out to pick it up himself, headset on and still on hold with the catering company. He'd nearly gotten hit by a car as he raced to get back to the office before Sue's food got cold, but insisted it was nothing when Emma later questioned why he didn't send Blaine out to grab it for him.

With class, homework, rehearsals, and everything else beginning to pile up as they approached midterms and Thanksgiving break Mike and Tina became too distracted by their own workload to follow up with Blaine on his romantic dilemmas. He considered asking them for advice again once the second week of Kurt's cold shoulder flew by, but he decided to take matters into his own hands. He hadn't been in many proper relationships, but he still considered himself a romantic. Surely there was some way he could win Kurt over… or at the very least get him to acknowledge his existence again.

His first attempt at a romantic approach was a spectacular failure, and also his last. The office collectively squealed when the bouquet of sunflowers was delivered directly to Kurt's desk. Unfortunately Blaine had no clue what kind of flowers Kurt preferred, or even what his favorite color was. He'd ultimately settled on sunflowers on his walk home from class the previous evening. He'd caught sight of a bouquet of them at a small corner flower shop, smiling at the warmth and light they brought to the dark, cramped shop. For that one fleeting moment they had brought Blaine the same joy Kurt had upon entering his life — molten joy, sunlight personified.

Eyebrows raised and giggles were hidden behind stacks of papers as Kurt's eyes went wide at the unexpected gift. His entire face flushed as he opened up the card, jumping when Santana slid up behind him and snatched the card out of his hand before he could finish reading it.

"'I don't know if I did something wrong, but I'm sorry. Please talk to me.' Geez, someone has it bad for you, Hummel," Santana teased, swiftly dodging Kurt's attempts to grab the card back.

"Give it back!" Kurt protested, chasing Santana around her desk until he nearly tripped on an extension cord, giving her enough time to safely stash the card inside of her bra.

"Don't worry, it's in a safe place," she assured, patting her right breast.

The room froze when the door to Sue's office was thrown open, the sound of something shattering inside of her office earning a gulp from Kitty and Marley. Sue almost never came out of her office during the work day unless she was heading out to a meeting or a lunch. She usually called Kurt directly into her office to do her bidding, and the few times she did leave her office she seldom interacted with anyone who wasn't Kurt or Santana. Kurt straightened himself up, making a mad dash to get back to his desk before Sue could notice he was gone. Sue wrinkled her nose at the bouquet on Kurt's desk, ripping a petal off of one flower.

"Sunflowers? Ugh, cliche. They're hideous. Get them out of my sight," she commanded, tossing the petal in Kurt's face before exiting the office.

The room fell into total silence, the only sound disturbing the peace was the hum of the copy machine. Kurt bit down roughly on his lip, drawing a bit of blood as he glanced from the bouquet to where Sue was waiting for an elevator. He gripped the vase, his fingers loosening as he mulled over what to do.

"Now, Porcelain!" Sue shouted from the elevator bank, having caught sight of Kurt's hesitation. Or perhaps she could smell it in the air.

Everyone, with the exception of Blaine, turned to look at Sue, missing the split-second moment in which Kurt threw the bouquet into the trash can by his desk. Blaine watched in horror as a single tear slid down Kurt's cheek, the other boy quickly wiping it away before tightening his grip on the vase and throwing it into the trash with far more effort than was necessary. The sound of the vase shattering broke the silence in the room, everyone's gaze shifting back to Kurt. Once Sue had safely entered her elevator Kurt stood up from his desk, ignoring the water that was now beginning to leak out of his trash can. He inhaled harshly, his throat tight as he struggled to hold in tears. All eyes were on him, all looks of sympathy, even from the likes of Hunter and Kitty. Kurt bolted towards the bathroom before he made himself even more vulnerable in front of the very people he was supposed to be in charge of. Blaine resisted the urge to run after him.

"What're you looking at, gremlins? Back to work!" Santana scolded, clapping her hands and herding the interns back to their assigned tasks.

Once the tension had eased and everyone had returned to their work, whispering and texting amongst one another about what they'd just witnessed, Santana pulled the card out from her bra. She scanned the message once again, sighed, and begrudgingly made her way over to the bathroom.

From that day on Kurt didn't so much as look in Blaine's general direction. He referred to him as "the other NYU intern" and frowned whenever Blaine's name came up organically in conversation. Blaine's one attempt at making peace had thrown them into all out war.

Then, of course, there was the Sebastian side of things. It seemed that Sebastian had taken Blaine's assurance that he 'didn't do crushes' as a confirmation that he wasn't interested in dating, but _was_ interested in a friends-with-benefits kind of situation. The upside was Sebastian wasn't interested in taking Blaine out on dates or making things official in any capacity. The downside was Blaine having to come up with creative ways to divert Sebastian's attempts to take things past just kissing. Sebastian suggested that they get together after work several times over the course of the following weeks, most of which Blaine was able to excuse himself out of. Tech rehearsals for _Gypsy_ booked him out for a solid week and a half, and a faked case of laryngitis kept Sebastian at bay the following week.

Thus far the two had only met up twice after work — once at Sebastian's place, and once at Blaine's. When Blaine begrudgingly agreed to having Sebastian come over he immediately texted Mike, Tina, and Brittany, begging them to come over and stay in the common area for as long as they possibly could. They not only stayed in the common area the entire night, but insisted that Blaine and Sebastian join them for several rounds of Monopoly. After Sebastian had left for the night, annoyed beyond belief at his having lost two out of five rounds to Brittany, Blaine treated his saviors to a midnight junk food run.

At Sebastian's place Blaine had succumbed to Sebastian's more innocent advanes. Kissing Sebastian was pleasant — just as pleasant as kissing any attractive man would be — so long as he kept all thoughts of Sebastian threatening a person's career for the benefit of his love life away. They'd abandoned the movie they were watching in favor of trading slow, sweet kisses. When Sebastian attempted to move his hands from Blaine's shoulder to his thighs Blaine shied away, blushing and curling in on himself.

"What's the matter, babe?" Sebastian purred against Blaine's neck, trailing his lips down to his collar.

"I'm a virgin!" Blaine blurted out, the first thing that he could think of that would get Sebastian to retreat.

It worked, thankfully — but no matter how much theatrical training Blaine had under his belt he was still a terrible, terrible liar. Sebastian didn't immediately see through Blaine's thinly veiled lie, which was a significant improvement from Blaine's previous attempts at deception.

"I'll just have to take my time to teach you," Sebastian said with a smirk, wrapping an arm around Blaine's shoulders and turning his attention back to the movie.

Blaine knew his luck was short-lived, and that he'd need to end things with Sebastian sooner rather than later, knowing the other boy wouldn't be able to hold off from trying to take things further for much longer. Blaine figured he could put an end to things with Sebastian after Thanksgiving break. He could claim to have reconnected with an old high school sweetheart, and would even have an extra week off to rehearse his lie. There would only be a few weeks left of their semester at Sue Sylvester Productions, narrowing the window of time in which they would have to deal with awkward run-ins at work. Until then he would have to do his best to put off being alone with Sebastian for prolonged periods of time. It was a laughable plan, but a plan nonetheless.

* * *

Blaine had nearly given up hope of speaking to Kurt again when a golden opportunity presented itself. Over a month had gone by since the karaoke incident and Blaine had finally begun to forget what it was like to kiss Kurt. He could no longer recall the taste of Kurt's tongue, or the way his lips pulsed after they parted, or the sensation of Kurt's lush eyelashes fluttering against his skin when he was pulled in too close. The memory of him had begun to fade.

It was an average day, a bit slow. Santana, who typically stayed after hours with Kurt to finish up their respective duties, pulled on her coat at exactly 6pm and headed right for the elevators. She'd abandoned Kurt to handle the task they'd just been given by Sue moments earlier. They had to stuff opening night gift bags. The production was opening that evening, but Sue had neglected to get the materials for the gift bags in order in time for them to be stuffed earlier. They had until 8pm to get all of the bags stuffed and delivered to the restaurant a few blocks over where the opening night party would be taking place.

"I've got a date that **cannot** be rescheduled. Minions, one of you stay with Kurt and help him stuff. I'll pay you time and a half and you get free lunch for the rest of the month," Santana called out to the interns before stepping onto an elevator, not waiting to find out who would step up to the job.

The Columbia trio were out for the day, as they all had rehearsal for the show choir they were in together. Mercedes immediately turned down the option to stay late — she was meeting a friend from Atlanta for drinks. Artie had a paper due Sunday evening that he still hadn't started. Marley and Jake exchanged nervous looks, both fumbling as they struggled to come up with a reason they couldn't stay late — though it was obvious that they had plans together.

"I can stay," Blaine offered. He'd made loose plans with Mike to catch a movie that evening, but that could easily be rescheduled.

The other interns were grateful that Blaine had taken up the extra responsibility, no one even considering that he was eager to do so. They gathered up their things, said their goodbyes, and filed out within five minutes.

Kurt had paid no mind to the conversations going on around him. He was fixated on stuffing the dozens of bags that had been spread out on the floor surrounding his desk. He was peeling labels and stuffing decorative parasols into the bags at lightning speed, snapping out of his trance when Blaine cleared his throat. Kurt's eyes narrowed to slits as he looked up at Blaine, scoffing at the other boy interrupting him.

"I'm busy," he said in a clipped tone, turning back to his desk and scooping up an armful of parasols.

"Santana had to head out early tonight. She asked one of us to stay behind and help you out. I was the only person who didn't have plans tonight," he explained.

"Figures," Kurt muttered under his breath, rolling his eyes.

Blaine decided to ignore the jab, putting performance over pride and grabbing the stack of labels off of Kurt's desk.

"What can I do to help?"

Kurt didn't put up anymore of a fight. He instructed Blaine to stick the labels onto the appropriate gift bags and Kurt would come around and stuff them. Kurt's shoulders tensed up as he continued his work, appearing more stressed than he had been when he was doing the work on his own. The silence between them was deafening, ringing in Blaine's ears and begging for him to speak up and break it. It must've had the same effect on Kurt — ten minutes into the silence he gave in and went over to his computer. He pulled up his Spotify and set it to shuffle, turning the music up to a comfortable volume before returning to work.

Blaine kept quiet while he worked, not speaking but eventually humming quietly when Kurt's playlist switched from an obscure French pop song to Bohemian Rhapsody. Kurt shifted slightly, looking as though he was going to switch to a different song, when his ears perked up at the sound of Blaine's humming. He glanced at the other boy out of the corner of his eye, and left the song alone.

As the song picked up its pace, the tempo intensifying, the bass thrumming under Blaine's skin, he finally found the courage to say what he needed to say.

"Why won't you talk to me?" he asked, dropping the empty sheet of labels in his hand and looking up at Kurt.

Kurt stiffened, not looking at Blaine as he stepped over to his computer and turned the volume up — the room drowned by a cacophony of Galileos.

"Great. So that's your plan. Pretend you can't hear me and act like I don't exist," Blaine spat, kicking aside the gift bag at his feet when Kurt continued to ignore him.

He'd bottled up the hurt of Kurt's rejection for weeks now, holding in his anger and confusion and frustration about the situation so as not to bother anyone. He had spent these past few weeks so hung up on getting Kurt to notice him and shaking Sebastian off his trail that he hadn't given himself a second to process the sting of having been shot down. He'd been vulnerable with Kurt, putting himself out on the line by sending that risky text message that morning, speaking true to his heart only for Kurt to throw it all away and pretend as though nothing had ever happened.

Kurt's fingers curled tightly around the pen in his hand, his knuckles turning a ghostly shade of white as he shut the music off. His cheeks burned as he kept his eyes hyper focused on his computer screen. Blaine lifted himself off the ground and approached Kurt at his desk. Kurt flew out of his seat, backing away from Blaine until he hit the wall behind him.

"Stay away from me," he warned, lifting up his clipboard to use as a shield. It was the first real thing he'd said to Blaine in weeks.

Blaine kept himself a safe distance away, not wanting to give Kurt the impression that he wanted to hurt him. "Please just tell me what I did wrong," Blaine pleaded, his voice cracking as he bit back tears.

Kurt's eyes softened. He lowered his clipboard as he blinked up at Blaine, his harsh, guarded expression shifting to one of concern.

"Blaine… You didn't do any wrong," he replied so quietly it was barely a whisper. His eyes fell to the floor, his hands falling limply at his sides. "It was me. All of it, it's me."

Blaine sniffled, grateful that Kurt had assured him he'd done nothing wrong, but still not entirely understanding what Kurt was trying to say. "What do you mean?"

Kurt returned to his desk chair, slumping in it and burying his face in his hands. "I ruined everything. I'm sorry, I should've done things differently," he said, his words muffled by his palms.

Blaine cautiously approached Kurt's desk, still keeping himself at a safe distance. "If you don't want anything to do with me then just say the word. I'll leave and I won't bother you again," he offered. Naturally he didn't want to have to leave things as they were, but if he could confirm that this was what Kurt wanted he wouldn't push any further.

"That's the problem, I don't want you to leave!" Kurt shouted, his words bouncing back against the walls of the empty office and echoing in the silence.

Blaine's mouth gaped at Kurt's response — this being the last thing he'd expected to come of his confrontation. He took another hesitant step towards Kurt, and then another. Once he was sure the other boy wouldn't lash out at him he kneeled in front of where Kurt sat, reaching out to rest his hand on Kurt's arm.

"Kurt, please tell me what's going on," he pleaded, his voice soft, comforting.

Kurt lifted his face out from his hands, his cheeks red rimmed and swollen, palms damp from the tears he'd hastily wiped away, his cheeks splotched with patches of redness and wetness. He rested a hand on his thigh, Blaine quickly reaching out and taking the hand in his own, running his thumb along the side of Kurt's palm. Kurt inhaled deeply, sniffling once more before turning himself to face Blaine.

"I like you. A lot. I tried so hard to tell myself that I wasn't interested and that we could leave the past in the past. Then we did that damn duet and you had to come after me with your compliments and your stupidly perfect face and your… everything. I kissed you and for a second I felt like everything would be okay, but by the time I got home I knew what I'd done was a mistake. I've worked too hard to lose everything here — and I can't ask you to wait for me. You deserve better than that." Kurt exhaled sharply once he finished, his hand trembling in Blaine's grip.

Blaine resisted the urge to lean up and pull the other boy close to him. He took Kurt's other hand in his, gripping them tightly as he spoke. "I understand that, and like I said in that text I'm willing to wait," Blaine assured.

Kurt's eyes went wide. Blaine's brows furrowed at Kurt's surprised expression. "Don't you remember?" His willingness to wait for Kurt had been a focal point of the message he'd so carefully constructed, it would've been impossible for Kurt to miss.

"I didn't read the message," Kurt admitted, Blaine slumping a bit. "I made Rachel delete it before I could read it. I… I didn't want to risk falling any deeper than I already had."

Blaine bit his lip in thought, releasing his hold on Kurt's hands. Kurt quickly slid out of his seat, kneeling beside Blaine and taking the other boys hands back into his, holding them close to his heart.

"Would you really be willing to wait? It would have to be weeks — months really," he whispered.

Blaine pulled Kurt's hands towards him, placing a feather light kiss against the other boy's knuckles. "As long as it takes," he assured.

Kurt let out a watery sigh of relief, his eyes misty once again as he released Blaine's hands in favor of wrapping his arms around Blaine's neck, pulling their torsos flush together. Blaine could feel Kurt's warm, damp cheek against his as he slowly wrapped his arms around Kurt's waist, pulling him closer.

"Can I kiss you?" Blaine asked quietly, the words whispered against Kurt's neck.

Kurt laughed, music to Blaine's ears as he broke off the hug and gripped Blaine's collar with his right hand, pulling him forward to meet his lips halfway. Blaine's hand flew up to Kurt's cheek, only for the kiss to break seconds later, Kurt leaning back with a smile.

"Next time don't ask."

Blaine grinned like an idiot as he leaned in to capture Kurt's lips. Their lips slotted together and their bodies fell back against the cold tiled floor, Blaine straddling Kurt's waist. They exchanged warm, sweet, hot kisses until their lungs ached and lips hummed. Kurt gingerly pushed Blaine away as he shifted himself into a sitting position.

"We still have to get these gift bags to the venue," he said, voice breathy and high.

The two looked over at the dozens of gift bags — stuffed, labelled, and ready to be delivered. "How long do we have?" Blaine asked.

Kurt glanced at the time on his computer. "An hour and a half."

A devious smile played at Blaine's lips as he rested his forehead against Kurt's. "Ten more minutes?"

Kurt bit his lip, pondering for a second before stealing a quick kiss. "Ten more minutes."

With that Blaine leaned in to Kurt once more, their bodies quickly shifting back to their original horizontal position. Kurt whined when Blaine broke off the kiss prematurely, the whine transitioning into a breathy moan as Blaine's lips trailed down his jaw, settling against his pulse point. What they were doing was absolutely insane, and anyone could walk back into the office at any moment and catch them wrapped up in one another on the ground — but just like that night at Callbacks they were too high on the rush of finally getting to hold, touch, and kiss one another that they couldn't find the will to care.

Blaine tugged at the collar of Kurt's button down, pulling it aside until it exposed his collarbone. He'd been careful to give due attention to Kurt's pulse point but not break the skin. Once his lips travelled down to the previously covered skin of his collarbone he allowed his teeth to graze the soft, pale skin. One hand slid down to grip Kurt's waist, holding the wriggling boy steady as Blaine's lips painted a series of marks from Kurt's collarbone to his shoulder.

"How quiet can you be?" Blaine murmured against Kurt's skin, peeking up at him from beneath his lashes.

"Why?" Kurt asked, lifting his head up to glance down at Blaine.

Blaine shifted his hand down between their warm bodies to palm over Kurt's clothed cock, feeling it stiffen against his touch. Kurt let out a sinful cry as his head fell back against the ground with a hard thunk, one hand gripping Blaine's shoulder tightly and the other lifting so he could glance at his wrist watch.

"You have 8 minutes," he warned.

"That's all I need," Blaine teased, stealing one last quick kiss while his fingers made quick work of undoing Kurt's belt.

Blaine pulled Kurt's slacks and underwear down to mid-thigh, his palm tightly gripping Kurt's half-hard cock. Kurt let out a shuddered breath, wriggling beneath Blaine's hold on his hip but still keeping the sound of his reactions to a minimum. He bit his lip as Blaine began to slowly pump his cock, Blaine feeling it beginning to harden under his fingertips. Blaine smirked as Kurt's cock quickly stiffened fully, licking his lips slowly before leaning down to sink his mouth around the silken flesh. Kurt bit down roughly on his own hand to keep from crying out at the wet heat of Blaine's mouth around his aching cock. His fingers lifted from Blaine's shoulder to entangle in the few loose curls at the base of his neck, his fingers digging roughly into his scalp.

The wet sound of Blaine taking as much of Kurt as he could, and the muffled cries of pleasure that Kurt released around his gritted teeth echoed quietly. Their hearts pounded in their ears, drowning out all other sounds. The adrenaline of knowing anyone could walk it any moment pumped through their veins, pushing them to test their absolute limits. Blaine lifted up, swirling his tongue around the head of Kurt's cock before lowering himself again, bobbing his head.

Blaine pulled off with a wet pop, grinning at the childish whine Kurt released at the loss of contact. Blaine sucked his index finger into his mouth as Kurt lifted himself up to rest on his elbows, their eyes locking as Blaine slid his spit-slicked finger between Kurt's cheeks to tease around the rim of his hole.

"Oh God," Kurt murmured as Blaine sunk his head back down onto his cock, his arms shaking within minutes as Blaine's finger circled his hole in time with the bobbing of his head. "M'close," he slurred, putting all of his weight on one hand as he attempted to push Blaine up.

Blaine pulled his finger back, using his now free hand to take Kurt's wrist and pin it down at his side, taking Kurt in deeper as the other boy grew closer and closer to his finish. Kurt came with an unrestrained cry of Blaine's name, his head falling back in ecstasy as Blaine swallowed around him with ease. Kurt collapsed back, nearly hitting his head on his chair in the process, his body vibrating through the after shock of his orgasm. Blaine pulled off of him with a pleased grin, sliding back up to rest against his chest. He pulled Kurt's wrist up to him, glancing at his watch.

"With a minute to spare."

"Shut up and kiss me," Kurt replied, wasting no time in pulling Blaine down to his level.

They spent the last of their precious ten minutes exchanging slow, warm kisses — the white heat in the pit of Blaine's stomach fading to a low burn. Once their minute was up Kurt quickly redressed, Blaine adjusting himself and doing his best to ignore the throb of his aching cock against the zipper of his slacks. They gathered up the gift bags in silence, taking the time to cool down before they headed over to the elevators. They enlisted the help of the front desk attendant to transport the gift bags to the Uber Kurt ordered, loading up the trunk and most of the backseat to the brim with frilled gift bags.

The two exchanged knowing looks, but said nothing during their ride to the venue. Their Uber driver was kind enough to assist them in bringing the bags into the venue, Kurt sending him off with a generous tip courtesy of Sue's American Express card. Blaine helped Kurt set up the bags on a table close to the entrance, frowning when Kurt told him to go home, that he could finish the rest himself.

"I have to stay for the opening anyway. You've stayed long enough — go home and catch up on TV. Or go to a bar. Whatever it is the kids do on Friday nights nowadays," he said with a teasing smile.

The subway ride home was a nightmare, with the trains running in every which direction but the one Blaine needed, and delay after delay keeping him from getting home in a timely manner. Yet through it all the same dopey moon-eyed grin stayed fixed on Blaine's face, his mind unable to focus on anything but the taste of Kurt still lingering on his tongue. Even so, it felt as though he was forgetting something.

Once home nearly an hour and a half later, Mike passed out on the couch as per usual, Blaine froze on his way to the kitchen, realizing what it was that he was forgetting. He pulled out his phone and scrolled to his texts with Kurt. He copied the text he'd sent last week, pasting it and resending as a new text. He smiled as he read the message over once more.

Across town, Kurt was surrounded by Broadway stars and theatre royalty, nursing an overpriced drink that tasted like cough syrup. He excused himself when his phone buzzed, grateful for the opportunity to get away from the wannabe playwright who'd been droning on to him about his latest work for the past twenty minutes. He opened the text from the unfamiliar number, sighing dreamily as he read the message from Blaine — the same one Rachel had read. He'd been wrong about Blaine. It was the only time he would ever be grateful for being wrong.

 _Hi. I know it's early, and I know you're probably asleep, but I just wanted to tell you that I think you're wonderful. I know this is complicated and I might be screwing this up by telling you all of this, but I'd beat myself up for the next century if I didn't tell you how incredible I think you are. I think you're lots of things, and I want the chance to tell you all about all of those things. If that's not something you're looking for I understand. But if you think this might be something you want I need you to know that I want this too. Even if it means waiting until all of this intern stuff is over, or even if you need more time than that, I'll wait. So… I guess what I'm trying to say is: If you're in, I'm in._

* * *

 **A/N: If you caught that subtle Mr. Robot reference you win my love and admiration.**

 **If anyone is interested, I finally decided to join Tumblr where this fic is also being posted/updated! I'm also planning on participating in Klaine Advent as best I can, so if you'd like to check that out you can find me at kuhlaine.**

 **Thanks for reading!**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Oh hey it's me, I have a new username now. Early update since I'll be focusing my energy on the Klaine Advent challenge beginning tomorrow, so these last few updates may be coming out a bit slower than usual. If you're interested in following my first attempt at an advent challenge I'll be posting on Ao3 and at my Tumblr (for both of which my username has been updated to kuhlaine, for continuity and all that jazz)!**

 **Also - this began as a vague, halfhearted attempt at NaNoWriMo, and even though this fic technically isn't done it IS over 50,000 words as of today! Hurray for sort of accomplishing goals!**

* * *

They agreed to find a time to talk things through properly, with hands and lips kept to themselves. Once the high of their latest office hook-up had worn down Kurt, level headed and calm once again, asked Blaine to meet him for coffee – not as a date, but to go over things. Blaine hastily agreed, overjoyed at the prospect of getting to see Kurt one on one. They met up the following weekend on a Sunday morning at what Blaine would typically consider an ungodly hour, but made no complaints when Kurt suggested meeting at 8am.

"Sundays are for my weekly apartment cleaning rituals and I'm doing you a favor by penciling you in," Kurt had teased over text message.

"Well, seeing as how your highness is so kindly gracing me with his time, how could I say no?" Blaine replied.

Since he decided on the time, Kurt allowed Blaine to pick the place. He opted for a coffee shop a couple of blocks from his apartment – figuring the short commute would make up for having to wake up earlier than usual. Blaine resisted the urge to update his friends on the sudden twist his love life had taken, but chose to hold onto the announcement until after he and Kurt spoke. He wanted to hold on to that tidbit, the one thing only he and Kurt knew, for as long as he could.

They fell back into their peaceful harmony at the office, greeting each other cordially now that Kurt finally decided that they were back on speaking terms. The collective tension of the office eased up now that Kurt was delegating work to everyone instead of avoiding Blaine, the other interns grateful that whatever strange mood Kurt was going through had passed.

Sunday morning Blaine awoke with a groan, wishing he hadn't let Mike talk him into a game of D&D that had lasted well into the night. He dragged himself into the shower, did his best to put together a presentable outfit, and trudged two blocks over to the coffee shop – arriving a few minutes early so he could feed his fiendish caffeine addiction before Kurt arrived. He downed his black coffee at record speed, the much-needed caffeine bringing the life back into him. The shop was surprisingly crowded for such an early hour – a mothers group came barreling in with their hoard of toddlers in tow, begging the lone barista for dozens of iced lattes. The toddlers eyed the stack of communal board games on the counter with wide eyes, grabbing the boxes with sticky fingers. Blaine slid behind the large group to grab one of the last remaining games before the toddler group managed to snag them all before returning to the safety of his table.

Once back at his table Blaine glanced down at the game he'd grabbed – Jenga. Could be worse, he thought, though he would've preferred to snag Candyland. He absentmindedly set up the Jenga tower while he waited for Kurt, halfheartedly beginning to pull blocks out of the tower as he started the game up on his own.

Blaine wouldn't be exaggerating if he said time stopped when Kurt entered the coffee shop. The bell over the door chimed at his arrival, and every customer's gaze shifted to the newcomer. With him came the smell of a cinnamon and lavender. The cloud that had been lingering over the street finally trickled along, flooding the shop with soft morning light. The mothers glared in envy at Kurt's designer coat, the toddlers marveled at the intriguing brooch on his lapel, and Blaine gazed at him with a look that made it clear he was absolutely smitten.

"Sorry I'm late," Kurt apologized as he slid into the seat across from Blaine.

"How is it possible that you look this good so early in the morning?" Blaine wondered aloud, propping up his chin on his palm, eyes stuck on Kurt.

Kurt blushed, batting away Blaine's compliment. "I'm a mess, I didn't even get to finish my moisturizing routine."

"If this is your version of looking a mess I don't think I could handle seeing you done up," Blaine teased, smiling coyly as Kurt ducked his head to hide his continually growing blush. "Can I get you something to drink?" Blaine asked, already beginning to stand up when Kurt's hand rested atop his, his body stilling.

"Don't worry, I can go order. No need to have you paying for my drinks – you're not my boyfriend yet," Kurt teased with a cheeky smile before heading to the counter, leaving Blaine shell shocked in his seat.

 _Yet._ He wasn't Kurt's boyfriend _yet._ The prospect of getting to call Kurt his boyfriend sent chills along Blaine's spine, his mind already concocting several dream sequences in which he flaunted Kurt before his friends and family. 'This is my boyfriend, Kurt' 'Have you met my boyfriend?' 'My boyfriend would love this' he would say and his heart would sing every single time. He had once been so grateful for just being allowed some time in the orbit of Kurt's world, and the chance of becoming a more permanent fixture was enough to make him dizzy.

While Kurt waited on his drink Blaine took a moment to calm himself, begrudgingly pushing away those dangerous daydreams. The dreams of slow morning kisses, holding one another close during the winter months when Blaine's heater would undoubtedly give in, adventuring to parts of the city undiscovered to either of them, and letting his hand find Kurt's whenever and wherever he wanted.

"Miss me?" Kurt said with a wink when he returned, non-fat mocha in hand.

"More than you know," Blaine replied, the two sharing a smile at the casual ease at which they could now flirt and tease one another. "Oh, I almost forgot." Blaine perked up as he reached into his bag, Kurt straightening up in interest. "I got this for you," Blaine said as he handed Kurt a single sunflower from the same shop he'd purchased the original bouquet.

Kurt gasped quietly as he took the flower, lifting it up to his nose and taking a whiff.

"I figured you deserved to keep at least one," Blaine admitted shyly, still feeling guilty about his grand gesture landing Kurt in trouble with Sue.

"No one had ever sent me flowers before," Kurt mused as he set the flower down between them. "And I guess no one else will after that fiasco," he said with a roll of his eyes.

"I'm so sorry about that, by the way. If I knew Sue hated sunflowers I would've picked a different flower or—"

"Don't apologize. Sue hates pretty much everything that isn't money or can result in her getting money. Besides, _I_ like sunflowers," he emphasized. "But for next time, my favorite flowers are roses," he added with a mischievous grin.

Blaine bit his lip, a smile still breaking free as he shook his head at Kurt's request. "So does this mean there'll be a next time?" he asked, finally breaching the topic they'd gathered to discuss.

Kurt took a long sip of his drink, tapping his fingers against the cup as he took his time responding. "I'd like there to be, assuming you do too," he replied nervously, gingerly pushing on a Jenga block to keep his hands busy.

"I definitely do," Blaine assured, smirking as he removed a block from the tower once Kurt was finished, throwing the ball back into his court.

Kurt bit his lip, keeping his eyes focused on the tower instead of Blaine, planning his next move. "We'd have to wait until the semester is over, and maybe even until after the holidays just to be safe." He removed another block.

"That really puts a damper on my plans to spend my senior year hooking up with as many guys as I can." He pulled a block out with ease, laughing softly at Kurt's wide eyed expression. "I'm kidding. I can wait. Besides…" Blaine leaned in closer. "A guy like you only comes around once in awhile," he sang, Kurt's expression of fear melting into bashful giggles.

"I think I could get used to you serenading me," he replied dreamily.

"I'll gladly serenade you any day you want. Unless I'm on vocal rest," he warned.

"Now you sound like Rachel," Kurt said with a groan. His eyes returned to the Jenga tower, his posture stiffening as he pulled out another block slowly, his voice quiet when he spoke again. "I don't think I'm going to tell her about us," he admitted, sounding almost ashamed.

"Does she not know about how we met?" Based on Rachel's reaction to being introduced to Blaine at Callbacks he'd been confident that she was fully aware of what had transpired between Blaine and her roommate.

"She knows now, she figured that one out without me telling her much. I love her to death but she can't keep a secret to save her life. If I want to stay sane from now until the end of the semester I need there to be as little of a chance of anyone from work finding out about this as possible."

Blaine nodded in understanding. He figured as much, and was suddenly grateful that he'd never filled Marley in on his history with Kurt. Of course they couldn't take back Santana knowing about what had happened between them, but she had proved herself to be an ally.

"I won't tell my friends either. Until we're ready," Blaine decided. A part of him would feel guilty for keeping a secret from Mike and Tina, and though the chances of them revealing his secret to someone somehow related to Sue Sylvester were slim, he knew it would be for the best.

"I'm sorry to make you do all this," Kurt murmured, reaching across the table and taking Blaine's hand in his. "I want you to know now that this isn't because I'm ashamed of you or what we're doing. Sue has made me paranoid in ways you wouldn't believe and I just want to be sure if we're doing this that we have all of our bases covered."

"I understand, but the reassurance is appreciated." Blaine lightly squeezed Kurt's hand.

They shared a smile, both of them leaning in just a bit when Blaine's phone vibrated with a new message, nearly knocking over the tower between them. They glanced down at the same time, Blaine groaning when he saw it was a text from Sebastian.

 _"Want to come over tonight?"_

"It's just Sebastian," Blaine muttered, tucking his phone away with the hope that Kurt hadn't had a chance to read the actual message.

"Is there something going on between you two?" Kurt asked warily, pulling his hand back to grip his coffee cup.

Blaine swallowed hard, toying with his fingers while he considered how to reply. "Not exactly."

"What is 'not exactly'?" Kurt asked, more forceful this time, giving Blaine an unreadable look.

Blaine had still yet to figure out if Sebastian had the power to make good on his threat towards Kurt. It hadn't come up since that night at Callbacks, Sebastian never making any mention of Kurt either of the times that they'd met up. It seemed he'd successfully thrown Sebastian off of their scent.

"We've hung out a couple of times, and kissed a couple of times too," Blaine admitted shyly. "But just kissing! And I've sort of been trying to find the right way to break things off."

Kurt perked up at this tidbit, biting back a smile as he returned to the Jenga tower, removing a block with ease. "Are you interested in being with him?"

Blaine shook his head quickly, taking his time removing his next block. "I was for maybe a split second. He's just… pushy." He decided to leave out any mentions of Sebastian's threatening Kurt's job, figuring it would only cause him undue stress.

"Maybe you should go meet with him," Kurt said without looking at Blaine, toying with the block in his hands.

Blaine's brows furrowed in confusion. "To break up with him?" he questioned.

"To do whatever you would be doing together if I wasn't in the picture." Kurt shrugged, keeping his eyes on his mocha.

"Is that something you would be doing too? Things you would do if I wasn't in the picture," Blaine retaliated, digging at a deeper issue that they had yet to discuss: exclusivity.

Kurt snorted at Blaine's question, shaking his head. "I wasn't doing anything, or any _one_ before you were in the picture, if that's what you're asking," he replied. "And I don't have any interest in doing so, if that's also what you're asking," he added, cheeks warming.

"Then I don't see how it would be fair for me to keep things going with Sebastian," Blaine replied in confusion, still not sure why Kurt was actually encouraging him to go meet up with him.

Kurt shrugged sheepishly. "It would keep people from suspecting that there was anything going on between us."

Kurt had a point, one Blaine hadn't considered. Blaine wasn't opposed to spending more time with Sebastian, but unfortunately spending more time with him entailed taking things to the next level sexually, if Sebastian's intentions were as clear as Blaine had thought.

"He seems pretty intent on making it into a friends with benefits situation. I'm not too keen on the whole 'benefits' part," he confessed.

"You shouldn't do anything you don't want to," Kurt emphasized, reaching over and taking Blaine's hand back in his.

Blaine sighed, leaning back in his chair and running his free hand lazily through his lightly gelled curls. "I should probably meet up with him tonight, I've put him off long enough," he said, his tone disinterested. "But I promise, nothing's going to happen with him tonight," Blaine reassured, shifting Kurt's hand so that their fingers interlaced.

"I trust you," Kurt said with a nervous smile, squeezing Blaine's hand in response.

Blaine glanced around their table, peeking at the few tables beside them before turning his attention back to Kurt. "I know you said you didn't want me to ask before kissing you, but how do you feel about kissing in semi-public?" Blaine asked with a grin.

Kurt held back a smile as he took his turn scanning the shop, confirming that there was no one he knew around and that nobody was paying them any mind. "I'm not opposed to it," he said, resting his chin on his palm.

"In that case…" Blaine shot forward, leaning out of his chair and sweetly pressing his lips to Kurt's.

The Jenga Tower between them finally collapsed at the rattling of the table, blocks clattering onto their laps and the floor, Kurt giggling into the kiss.

"You're making a mess," he scolded playfully once they'd pulled apart.

"Well worth it if you ask me," Blaine replied, sneaking one last quick kiss before working on picking up the fallen blocks.

A couple of people looked up from their tables to glance over at the commotion, but they remained unbothered. They allowed themselves to finally move on from their serious discussion to more light hearted topics, taking the time to get to know one another. Blaine pressed Kurt for details about what life at NYADA had been like, oohing and aahing with wonder and envy as Kurt waxed poetically about the school he loved so dearly. Kurt listened intently while Blaine complained about the _Gypsy_ director and the insane tech hours he had them put in the previous week, insisting that he be reserved a seat in the front row to watch Blaine in the spring musical. They discussed friends – Rachel, Santana, Mike, Tina, Brittany – and mutual interests – Broadway, trashy reality TV, celebrity gossip, the royal family – until their cups ran dry. After giving Blaine a dramatic reading of the full review of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's wedding Kurt had posted on his blog he glanced at the time with a frown.

"I should probably head back soon. Rachel's staying at the apartment this entire week so I need to give the apartment an extra deep scrubbing tonight," he said with a sigh.

Blaine offered to walk him to the subway. They stowed away the Jenga box, tossed their cups away, and hesitantly linked their fingers as they made their way out the door. Blaine had only just begun to marvel at how well Kurt's hand fit in his when the spell was broken, Kurt pulling his hand back quickly and crossing his arms.

"Sorry, thought I saw someone I knew," he muttered, staring warily at a retreating figure on the opposite side of the block.

Blaine frowned at the loss but respected Kurt's space as they continued on, this time a very friendly distance apart. Once they arrived at the subway stop, the corner blessedly empty, Blaine leaned in to swipe one last parting kiss, savoring the lingering taste of chocolate on Kurt's lips.

"One more for the road," he said with a wink, Kurt blushing and shaking his head in mock disapproval before making his way down into the subway.

Blaine watched him go until he disappeared from his line of view, heading back to his apartment and pulling out his phone with a drawn out groan. He opened up the text from Sebastian, weighing his options one last time before sending off his reply.

 _"Sure."_

* * *

Sebastian was surprisingly excited to see Blaine when he opened the door to his apartment.

"Well look who finally made time for me," he teased, playfully smacking Blaine on the arm before ushering him into the apartment.

"Sorry, busy time of year," Blaine apologized.

Sebastian had a pizza delivered moments before Blaine had arrived, pouring them both a glass of red wine and inviting Blaine to join him at the kitchen counter. They chatted about school, their internship, and the acapella group Sebastian was a part of – they'd won their recent competition. It was… normal. Blaine had anticipated having to fend off advances throughout the night while ultimately working up the courage to break things off, but things were surprisingly calm. Sebastian made none of his usual attempts to get closer to Blaine – no arms around shoulders or hands on thighs. This was the Sebastian that Blaine remembered fondly – the one who was witty and fun, easy to talk to. Every time Blaine felt his guard slowly lowering he quickly brought it back, fearing that the switch would flip any second and Sebastian would be on him like an animal in heat.

But that moment never came. After finishing up their dinner Sebastian suggested they play a video game, opening up a drawer beneath the TV in the living room to reveal every gaming system known to Blaine, along with dozens of games for each system. Blaine gawked at the collection, unable to take in the enormous variety of options. Sebastian laughed as he threw himself onto the couch.

"People tend to get overwhelmed when they see the collection," he said with a smirk.

Blaine knelt before the drawer, sorting through the various games he had stacked on top of one another. "How do you even have this many consoles?" Blaine asked as he ran his fingers along a PS4 Pro, nestled tightly beside a Nintendo Switch.

Sebastian shrugged. "Birthdays, Christmas, and a very hefty paycheck from my summer job."

"You've given me something to aspire to," Blaine joked, reading the back of the box of a Switch game he didn't recognize.

"You don't want to aspire to be like me – that'd be a very sad life goal," Sebastian said with a weak laugh.

Sebastian kept his eyes on the ground when Blaine turned back to look at him. Was Sebastian being… vulnerable? Once Sebastian caught sight of Blaine watching him he plastered a smile back on his face. "I recommend this one," Sebastian advised, coming up behind Blaine and picking up a game whose jacket was entirely in French. "I got it the last time I visited our house in France for the summer. Chances are this is the only place you'll get to play it."

Blaine agreed to playing the game, so long as Sebastian explained the rules, as Blaine's French was pitiful at best. They settled into a comfortable silence as the game began, Blaine concentrating on not getting himself killed off within the first five minutes. They bantered occasionally as Blaine confused the various rules and accidentally wound up killing off Sebastian instead of their enemy. Once he got the hang of the controls Blaine actually managed to overpower Sebastian rather quickly, taking the lead as he started picking off their enemies one by one, leaving little for Sebastian to do.

"Are you some kind of gaming prodigy? Because this just isn't fair," Sebastian complained as Blaine finished off the enemy Sebastian had been targeting for the past several minutes.

"I'm just a man of many talents," Blaine gleamed, keeping his eyes focused on the screen.

"And what if you're distracted?"

Blaine's brow furrowed. "What do you m—"

Before he could finish, Sebastian's fingers had gripped Blaine's chin and turned him to face him, their lips brushing and Blaine's controller falling out of his hands in surprise. Blaine froze under Sebastian's hold, his lips unmoving until Sebastian pulled away with a victorious look. Blaine could hear the sound of an explosion – Sebastian having just killed Blaine off.

"We all have our weaknesses." Sebastian winked, picking his own controller back up before turning back to the game.

Blaine found himself unable to turn back to the game, his gaze falling to the ground as he was overwhelmed by a surge of guilt. Kurt was the one who had encouraged him to meet up with Sebastian that night, and was well aware of what might happen between the two of them – in fact, he'd specifically made it clear that he didn't mind. Yet Blaine couldn't help the sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach when Sebastian had kissed him – the feeling that he was betraying Kurt on a subconscious level. Blaine had promised that nothing would happen between him and Sebastian, and Kurt had placed his trust in him.

While Blaine was still in some ways afraid of Sebastian and the power he possessed – he realized that night that Sebastian wasn't an untouchable god, even if that was what he wanted people to think. He was a young man, just like Blaine, who had feelings that could easily be crushed and mended. It wasn't fair to Sebastian, no matter how obnoxious or secretly nefarious he may be, to string him along for the sake of Blaine's own interest.

"I don't think this is going to work out," Blaine blurted out, another explosion ringing out as Sebastian dropped his controller with a huff.

"There's someone else isn't there?" he asked casually, pausing the game and stretching his arms over his head.

"Uh, well, sort of… No. I mean… maybe," Blaine mumbled, too caught off guard by Sebastian's knowing question to be able to come up with a coherent reply.

"You guys haven't made anything official, but you feel guilty being with someone that isn't him, right?" Sebastian added, Blaine astounded by how accurately he'd hit the nail on the head.

"Yeah… How did you know?"

"Been there done that. Plus you have the world's most readable face."

Blaine ducked his head, wringing his fingers together, hiding his unhelpful readable face. Sebastian sighed, setting his controller onto the coffee table and shifting in closer to Blaine, resting a hand gently on his shoulder.

"You don't have to go into kicked puppy mode, I'm not mad," Sebastian assured, patting Blaine's shoulder for good measure.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to lead you on or anything, this all just happened unexpectedly, and I didn't want to be rude. But I'd like to still be friends, if that's something you're interested in?"

Sebastian hummed as he tapped his finger against his cheek in thought, dragging it out and milking it until Blaine looked like he was going to explode from nervousness. "Friends don't annihilate their friends at their favorite video game when it's their first time playing. If we can fix that I think we can have something arranged," Sebastian teased.

Blaine guffawed at Sebastian's request, unpausing the game and throwing his character off a nearby cliff.

"I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship," Sebastian mused, turning his full attention back to the game, effectively ending the discussion.

Ending things with Sebastian had been almost entirely pain-free, which Blaine certainly hadn't expected – plus he was able to walk out of it with Sebastian's friendship. He finally allowed himself to relax, letting his guard down knowing he wouldn't have to fend off advances and nervously dance around the proverbial elephant in the room. After two more rounds Blaine finally decided to head back home, agreeing to text Sebastian later to make plans for a rematch, but at his place this time. He made his way to the subway, taking a second to grin up at the clear night sky. After all the stress and doubt he'd put himself through over the course of the past several weeks he could finally say that all was right in the world.

* * *

Blaine arrived home to an empty apartment and a note from Mike on the fridge explaining that he'd scored last minute tickets to a dance battle in Brooklyn and wouldn't be back until the early hours. Blaine decided to take advantage of the rare occasion of having the apartment to himself, calling Kurt while he made himself a quick snack, turning on speaker phone and setting his phone atop the microwave.

"To what do I owe the honor?" Kurt answered, a smile blossoming on Blaine's lips just at the sound of Kurt's voice.

"I figured you'd want to know that I ended things with Sebastian," Blaine said as he popped a raspberry into his mouth, attempting to picture Kurt's reaction to the news.

"Oh…" Kurt trailed off, Blaine remaining silent, waiting for Kurt to continue. "How did that happen?" Kurt asked, his voice unusually high – or rather, higher than usual.

"Everything was fine, and then he kissed me and it felt weird and wrong, so I ended it. Nothing scandalous, if that's what you were hoping for," Blaine teased.

Kurt laughed, breathing a sigh of relief. "Is it terrible of me to say that I'm glad that happened?"

"Weren't _you_ the one implying I shouldn't break up with him?"

A long pause. "Fine, fine, I'm a hypocrite. I just couldn't get the idea of you two together doing… things out of my head for the rest of the day and I just kept obsessing over it to the point that I barely got any cleaning done," Kurt said exasperatedly, Blaine hearing the urgency in his tone.

"Does this mean I've indirectly caused you to land in hot water with Rachel?"

"The only thing I didn't get to was vacuuming the carpet, she'll live."

Blaine could hear the hesitance, or maybe it was worry, in Kurt's voice. The line filled with silence, neither of them knowing what to say next.

"Remember when I said you should act like I was never in the picture? With Sebastian?" Kurt piped up.

Blaine nodded, rolling his eyes at himself when he realized Kurt couldn't see him. "I do."

"Maybe… Don't do that? With any guy, I mean. If that's alright with you?" Kurt suggested shyly, the most nervous Blaine had ever heard him.

Blaine smiled as he picked up his phone, holding it close against his chest. "I'm more than happy to stop pretending you don't exist."

Kurt giggled at Blaine's teasing, scolding him before changing the topic to an interesting article on a bow tie manufacturer in Sweden that had made him think of Blaine. They fell into easy conversation, Blaine absentmindedly popping raspberries into his mouth while he lounged on the couch, his phone on his chest, briefly forgetting that Kurt wasn't actually in the room with him. They shifted from topic to topic before Kurt excitedly proposed that Blaine join him in rewatching _The Great British Bake-Off._

"It's bread week, Blaine!" he had insisted, Blaine laughing and agreeing that they could watch it together.

Kurt had thrown a fit when Blaine later revealed that he'd never actually seen an episode of _Bake-Off_ , Kurt chastising him for not indulging in such wonderfully delightful television. He gave Blaine a quick overview of the show and a recap of the season thus far before guiding him to the episode he'd left off on. They remained silent for the most part, intently watching as the baker's did their best to deliver on their ornate bread masterpieces, Blaine smiling at Kurt's various vocal reactions as the episode progressed.

"Rookie mistake," Kurt and Blaine chimed simultaneously when a contestant forgot to add yeast to their dough, both of them erupting into a fit of giggles.

Blaine didn't have the heart to tell Kurt he was beginning to fall asleep as the episode trailed into its final moments, his head beginning to droop and his eyes beginning to close without him noticing.

"You're asleep aren't you," Kurt observed, speaking up louder than usual, which snapped Blaine straight out of the slumber he hadn't realized he'd fallen into.

"Wha— no I'm awake," Blaine said groggily, rubbing his eyes and trying his best to ignore the drowsiness.

"It's okay, you don't have to keep yourself propped up. I'll let you go," Kurt said, his voice already beginning to sound further away.

"No, wait, I don't want to stop talking to you," Blaine protested, his words slurred as he was still half asleep.

Kurt giggled softly, his voice quiet and tender when he spoke. "You can talk to me tomorrow. Sweet dreams, Blaine."

"Sweet dreams, beautiful," Blaine murmured, having already fallen back against the couch pillows, eyes closed and drifting off to sleep.

Mike would go on to tease Blaine relentlessly for falling asleep on the couch, after Blaine had reprimanded him for doing it countless times, but Blaine couldn't care less. He floated through his Monday classes on Kurt-induced cloud, his feet never touching the ground, even when his Advanced Music Theory professor surprised them with a pop quiz. He reigned in his lovesick eyes and dreamy gaze when he was back with his friends, not wanting them to catch on as to the major changes that had occured that weekend.

On Tuesday Blaine practically bounced into the Sue Sylvester Productions office, his heart fluttering when Kurt greeted him per usual, but with a special, secret twinkle in his eyes.

"You look excited," Marley observed when he took his seat at his desk.

Blaine shrugged, his smile still in place as he booted up his computer. "I had a productive weekend."

Marley opened her mouth to question him further, only for the collective attention of the room to shift when a man entered the office, announcing a delivery for Kurt Hummel. Kurt watched with wide eyes as the delivery man set down a new wrapped bouquet, quickly signing for it and unwrapping the packaging. He let out a quiet coo when he finished unwrapping the bouquet of red and yellow roses, running his fingertips delicately across the multicolored petals.

"Damn, two bouquets in one month? Someone's popular," Santana teased as she slid up behind Kurt to admire his latest arrangement. Instead of snatching the card like she did before she waited until Kurt opened it up himself, hovering behind him to read it over his shoulder.

"Thank you for letting there be a next time," Kurt read aloud, grinning and holding the card close to his heart as he continued to admire the bouquet, tears welling at the corners of his eyes

"Wanky," Santana said with a waggle of her eyebrows.

"It's not wanky, it's romantic!" Kurt protested, shooing Santana away from his desk before she could further sexualize the romantic gesture.

The room froze as once again, as though on cue, Sue walked off the elevator and into the office. She took off her sunglasses as she entered the office, tucking them into the pocket of her signature red track suit. The room collectively held its breath as she made her way past Kurt's desk, Kurt praying that she wouldn't notice the bouquet this time. Sue walked past Kurt's desk, stopping to sniff the air before turning on her heels. She gave the bouquet a scrutinizing look, Kurt pulling it in closer to himself defensively.

"Roses. Nice choice," she complimented before turning and walking straight into her office. It was the first time any of them had ever heard Sue give someone a compliment that wasn't backhanded.

Santana breathed an audible sigh of relief when the door slammed shut behind Sue, Emma emitting a quiet squeal of excitement. Kurt sank back into his chair once he could finally relax, chancing a quick glance towards Blaine, shooting him a grateful smile. Today was going to be a good day.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Imma keep it real, this is basically just fluff with a smidgen of plot development. Ah well - thanks for reading!**

* * *

Life was significantly sweeter with Kurt in it. Blaine hadn't anticipated much of change in his day to day life now that he and Kurt were 'involved' so to speak – not dating, sort-of exclusive, and definitely very much on the down low. Each day Blaine awoke with more energy and pep to his step – the little things that used to bother him rolling off his back with ease. They hadn't met up in person since their Sunday morning coffee shop meeting, but phone calls in the evening and texts throughout the day had become the norm.

At the office things remained mostly unchanged, with the exception of the occasional lingering hand on the copier or a shy smile shared in the kitchen over coffee. In the evenings they would either Skype or call one another to watch an episode of whatever show they were in the mood for that night, or just to catch up on how their days went. Blaine always made sure to use headphones when talking with Kurt – playing music in the background to drown out his conversation, in hopes of keeping Mike and Tina from overhearing.

"Dude, I think you need to get your ears checked," Mike confronted Blaine one morning, cornering him before he headed off to his morning classes.

"Why do you say that?" Blaine asked with a raised eyebrow.

"You're blasting your music way louder than usual. Which is cool, you have good taste. But seriously, get that checked out." Mike pointed his banana at Blaine to emphasize his point.

"Right, I will," Blaine replied, biting back a laugh as Mike shot him another concerned look before heading off to class.

Even the mundane things, like grabbing coffee in the morning, were more exciting with Kurt in the picture. Every morning Blaine picked up his usual coffee from the bodega around the corner from his apartment and snapped a photo of the bodega's resident tabby cat, Buttons, to send to Kurt.

Blaine took pictures of lots of things throughout the day to send to Kurt – a distressed army-style jacket displayed in a shop window that looked Kurt's size ("The price tag says $600 but I think you could haggle it down"), a duck with an oddly patterned breast waddling through Central Park ("Inspiration for the new Prada line?"), a corgi in a Burberry poncho ("I didn't realize you'd transformed into a dog overnight!"), a cronut laying abandoned on the side of the street ("This should be considered a crime"). One day he texted Kurt a photo of two pigeons nuzzling together in the office courtyard while he was on his lunch break accompanied by a heart emoji, beaming when he caught sight of Kurt's cellphone later that afternoon, the photo of the pigeons his new lock screen background.

One afternoon, the Friday before Thanksgiving break, was determined to break Blaine's spirit. The day had begun like any other, only for his mood to sour when their hot water crapped out on him midway through his morning shower, dousing him in an ice cold spray that sent him flying halfway across the bathroom. After a heated argument with their landlord about getting their hot water back Mike and Blaine were in equally foul moods, spending ten minutes each ranting and raving about the various problems with their apartment that had cropped up as winter loomed on the horizon.

Midway through his rant about the awful job the building had done of properly sorting their tenants' recyclables Blaine realized he was 15 minutes behind schedule, and would almost definitely be late for his first class of the day. He grumbled a string of profanities as he gathered his books as fast as he could and darted out the door without so much as a goodbye to Mike. He had to run back to the apartment after realizing he'd forgotten to print out his midterm paper for said class, sweating profusely by the time he exited the apartment for the second time, freshly printed paper in hand.

Halfway to the subway it began to rain – and not just a light sprinkle, but a monsoon level tidal wave, complete with thunder and lightning. Blaine made a mad dash for the subway station, shielding his paper inside of his jacket, but it was a lost cause. He missed his train by seconds, soaked to the bone and his drenched paper practically disintegrating in his hands. Blaine let out a yell of frustration, tossing the paper into the trash and earning several disturbed looks from those around him on the platform.

Blaine's hopes that his professor would be understanding about his predicament were crushed almost instantly when he was scolded for walking into class nearly 20 minutes late.

"Just leave your paper on my desk and take your seat, Mr. Anderson," Professor Thompson scolded.

"I – w-well, I was hoping I could actually talk to you about that in private after class?" Blaine asked reluctantly, the entire class stiffening at the melt down that was inevitably to come.

Professor Thompson turned with a look of horror and disgust. "You don't have your paper?"

"I had it, I swear! It just got wet in the rain and I didn't want to—"

"I expect students to hand in their work **on time** if they expect to be a part of this class."

"But I—"

"Get out of my classroom, Mr. Anderson!" Thompson shouted, one student letting out a startled gasp. Blaine had to bite back tears as he pulled his backpack on and turned to leave the classroom, tail between his legs.

"I'm having the worst day in the world," Blaine had texted Kurt as soon as he exited the classroom and headed towards the library, figuring it was worth a shot to print out his paper and drop it off at Thompson's office anyway.

"Worse than the poor soul that just got himself chewed out by Sue for delivering her package one day earlier than expected?" Kurt replied.

Blaine smiled, laughing to himself at Kurt's response, easily able to picture the tirade Sue must've laid down on that poor delivery boy. It took several texts for him to explain everything that had happened thus far that day, only for his phone to get knocked out of his hand mid-text by a a guy on a skateboard who didn't bother to look where he was going. His phone hit the ground face down with a deafening smack, Blaine's breath hitching in his throat.

"Please don't be broken, please don't be broken," he chanted under his breath as a mantra as he very slowly lifted his phone back up, letting out another cry of frustration at the sight of his shattered phone screen.

"And now some asshole just bumped into me and made me shatter my phone screen. Great." Blaine shot off the last text to Kurt carefully, avoiding cutting the pads of his thumbs on the bits of his screen that had begun to chip away.

Blaine gingerly placed his phone in his pocket, making sure not to damage it any further. He focused on getting to the library in one piece, printing off his paper once again and trekking across campus to drop it off in Professor Thompson's mailbox with a profusely apologetic note attached. His phone remained tucked away in his pocket until he'd collapsed into a cushy armchair in a cafe a few blocks from campus where he intended to hide out until from the rain until it was time for his next class. He delicately placed his phone on the table, eyes widening when his phone buzzed to signal the latest of several new text messages. There were seventeen in total – sixteen of them from Kurt, and one from Mike asking if they were out of toilet paper.

Avoiding the cracked bits of his phone Blaine scrolled through each of the texts Kurt had sent him – after assuring Mike that yes, they did have more toilet paper, it was in the hall closet. Kurt had sent him a variety of jokes, videos, and photos, all with the intention of making him laugh. A video of a dog unable to walk while wearing boots, a picture of bunnies snuggled up in a basket, a terrible dad joke involving burritos that actually made Blaine laugh out loud.

"For the record I plan on keeping this going all day," the latest message read.

"You won't see me complaining," was Blaine's reply.

The day continued to throw curve balls at Blaine – his second class was cancelled after he'd spent the entire night studying for the test they were scheduled to take that day. The package he'd been expecting – a new coffee maker for the apartment – was stolen off their doorstep, and he accidentally stepped on Buttons-the-bodega-cat's bushy tail when he stepped into the store to grab some last minute groceries, earning a well deserved hiss and eternal hatred from the beloved feline.

But the texts from Kurt kept rolling in – more videos and photos than Blaine could process. Once he finally got back to the apartment for the day he spent several minutes scrolling through all of the messages one more time, grinning like an idiot when a new photo came in. A selfie of Kurt, probably taken in the office bathroom, pouting adorably.

"This is me being sad in solidarity."

Blaine spent far too long gazing at the photo, zooming in and out on Kurt's perfect features – his warm green eyes, blemish-free skin, his upturned lips.

"You're in love," Mike announced, startling Blaine when he suddenly appeared in the doorway to his bedroom.

"What're you talking about?" Blaine quickly replied, hiding his phone into the couch cushion behind him.

"You were looking at your phone the same way Tina looks at my abs. That's love, man," Mike said, pointing to his temple and giving Blaine a knowing nod.

Blaine rolled his eyes, forcing himself to relax. "It was just a picture of a really cute dog," he defended, Mike immediately perking up.

"Oh, lemme see lemme see!" he begged, bounding over to the couch and jumping over the back, landing on the seat beside Blaine.

Blaine pulled his phone back out, Mike scoffing at Blaine's shattered screen. Blaine put aside the concerns about his phone as he pulled up the photo of the corgi in the Burberry poncho and handed his phone to Mike.

"Aw man, that is a really cute dog," he said with a nod of approval.

And that was the end of that. Blaine sent the photo to Mike so that he could send it to Tina so they could mutually squeal over it before slipping back into his room. Once he'd safely closed and locked the door behind him Blaine pulled the photo of Kurt back up, smiling fondly as he saved it, making it Kurt's contact photo.

The texts continued on until Blaine, thoroughly cheered up, finally chimed back into the conversation once he was sure Kurt had finally headed home for the day.

"I'm going to call you, but I need you to let it go to voicemail."

"Does this mean we're not watching Drag Race tonight?"

"Don't worry we're still on for Drag Race, this is something different."

"Huh. Well, whenever you're ready."

Blaine set up his phone atop the keyboard in his room, taking in a few deep breaths and cracking his knuckles before hitting the call button beside Kurt's name. The call went straight to voicemail, Blaine smiling at the sound of Kurt's voice. Once the beep sounded Blaine took one last deep breath before letting his fingers fly over the keys, playing the melody to a song he knew oh so well.

It's a little bit funny, this feeling inside...

Your Song had always been one of Blaine's favorite songs to play since he'd learned to play the piano when he was sixteen. It was one of his mother's favorites, and she'd insisted that he learn to play it once he got past the basics. Whenever he would play in the living room she'd come trailing in shortly after, sitting down on the bench beside him and resting her head against his shoulder or leaning against the piano with a dreamy sigh. One Saturday afternoon his father had joined them in the living room, taking his wife by the hand and pulling her away from the piano for a dance in the middle of the room. It was one of the last few days before he headed off to New York for his first year at NYU, and one of his fondest memories of his family.

My gift is my song, and this one's for you...

While playing the song for his mother was meaningful in its own right, a part of Blaine had always longed for a special someone of his own to play the song for, for the words to take on new meaning. He may have only known Kurt for a few short months, and they weren't official in any capacity, but Blaine was confident that no matter what may happen in the days, months, or years to come, that Kurt was deserving of this song. That day Blaine was sure that his life had been changed for the better, even if it was only temporarily, because of Kurt.

I hope you don't mind, I hope you don't mind that I put down in words…

He took his time with the closing lines of the song, putting his own unique spin on it. His mother had reprimanded him from straying from the original tune, but he had a feeling that Kurt would appreciate his take on the classic ballad. He sang the final lyric with the widest, brightest grin on his face as he dreamed of Kurt, perched on the bench beside him, singing along with that beautiful voice he'd come to love so dearly.

How wonderful life is while you're in the world…

"Just thought you should know," Blaine finished off, laughing softly before ending the call. He shot Kurt a quick text letting him know he could listen to the voicemail whenever he was ready, doing his best not to let his nerves get the best of him while he waited for Kurt's reply.

"That sounded really good!" Mike called from the living room, the sound of applause muffled through the walls.

Blaine peeked his head out the door. "Thank you." Mike gave him a thumbs up before Blaine closed the door once again, nearly launching himself at his desk when he heard his phone buzzing. It was an incoming call from Kurt. Blaine scrambled to pull up a random playlist on his laptop, hitting shuffle and setting it close to the door before finally answering Kurt's call.

"Hello handsome," he greeted as he laid down on his bed.

"That song…" Kurt trailed off, his voice thick with tears. Blaine sat up, worried at the distress in Kurt's voice. "Did you really mean it?" Kurt asked, sniffling harshly.

"Of course I meant it," Blaine reassured, wishing he could reach out and pull Kurt into his arms.

Kurt continued to sniffle, a quiet, joyful sob falling from his lips. "God I can't believe I'm crying over a voicemail," he said with a watery laugh. "That was beautiful, thank you."

"No need to thank me. Besides, I have a serenading quota to keep up with," he teased playfully.

Kurt laughed, his sniffles finally beginning to subside, his voice more level. "How did I ever survive without you?" He was being sarcastic, but with a hint of sincerity.

Blaine bit his lip. It was far too early to exchange I love yous – especially considering they weren't even officially dating, and wouldn't be for several more weeks. Blaine had never exchanged I love yous with a boyfriend before – though he'd come close in the past. There had been Brandon, the boy he'd dated his sophomore year at NYU for several months, which was his longest relationship to date. The words had been on the tip of his tongue but he had never found the courage to say them out loud – and neither did Brandon, who broke things off, citing 'lack of spark.' Blaine had once wondered if he even understood the concept of love – if it was everything that movies and television and novels had made it out to be, or if it was something much more specific, something one felt in their own way.

As little as Blaine knew about love, if that wasn't what was beginning to blossom in his heart for Kurt, then he never wanted to be in love – because this, whatever this was, was the most wonderful feeling in the world. And he couldn't imagine life without it.

"I was just thinking the same thing."

* * *

Thanksgiving couldn't come soon enough. The days leading up to the blissful five day weekend at Sue Sylvester Productions were hectic, to say the least. Kurt had been buried up to his neck in meetings and dinners and luncheons to schedule for Sue, along with half a dozen production runs he still needed to get done before heading to the airport to fly back home to Lima. Rachel agreed to meet up with him after he got out of work so they could head to the airport together, but had waited until the last possible minute to pack.

By noon Kurt's phone was drowning in messages from Rachel, asking which terrible animal print sweater she should bring, and whether Finn liked her maroon dress or her green dress, or if she could use his very expensive exfoliating scrub to get rid of some bumps on her arms that had cropped up that morning. In the midst of the sea of Rachel were a handful of texts from Blaine, who had already headed back to Ohio for Thanksgiving. The sight of his name among the many photos of Rachel and her bumpy arms brought a glowing smile to Kurt's lips.

Kurt had half expected things to get off to a rocky or awkward start with Blaine, as most of his relationships often did, but things were better than he could have expected. Work was still terrible in many different ways, but bearable now that Kurt had Blaine to talk to throughout the day, and Blaine's voice to look forward to at the end of the day.

While Kurt was practically dizzy with excitement about finally returning home for Thanksgiving, he couldn't squash down a certain lingering sadness. He pictured finally wrapping his arms around his dad after not seeing him since his NYADA graduation, smelling his step-mother Carole's perfume as she pulled him in for one of her signature bear hugs. Hell, he was even looking forward to seeing his doofus of a step-brother. Rachel was the more excited of the two when it came to seeing Finn – especially now that things with her and Brody had cooled off.

His father would undoubtedly grill him on every aspect of his day to day life, from what he was reading to what he was eating, and he'd have to sit there and lie through his teeth about the most significant change in his life: Blaine. Kurt was a seasoned liar – he'd had plenty of practice with white lies by fudging the truth about how much of his allowance he'd spent on clothes in high school – but that didn't mean he enjoyed it, especially when it came to his dad. Kurt cherished the close relationship he had with his dad and Carole, and the thought of keeping such an enormous secret from them made his skin crawl.

Of course he wanted to tell them about Blaine – he wanted to tell anyone who would listen about this wonderful boy he'd met who was handsome and kind and made him feel like he was the only other boy in the world. He'd briefly considered telling his dad – what would be the harm? With Burt all the way out in West-Nowhere-Lima-Ohio there was zero chance that the news would travel back to Sue in New York. But then his paranoia crept up on him, like a looming rain cloud, reminding him that Burt could tell a coworker, and a coworker could tell a friend who lives in New York, and that friend could say something to a different friend in a Starbucks in New York, where Sue – who hated Starbucks with a passion – could possibly over hear. It was the most insane scenario Kurt had ever dreamt up but it kept him awake at night and haunted him throughout the day. So he decided to keep the secret.

Once he finally scheduled Sue's last appointment Kurt made a mad dash for the door, waving goodbye to Santana and Emma as he raced to meet Rachel at the cafe around the corner.

"You're fifteen minutes late, Kurt!" Rachel scolded the second he entered the shop, waving her half eaten baguette in his face.

"I know, I know, and I'm sorry, now can we please just go before we miss our flight?" he pleaded, Rachel muttering something about the importance of punctuality under her breath before picking up one of the several bags she had stacked up beside her.

"Wait, you're bringing all of that with you? Rachel, we're going home for five days not five months." Kurt gawked as he took in all seven – seven! – of Rachel's bags.

"This is the first time Finn and I are going to see each other since we ended things at graduation, I need to make sure that I have as many options as possible," she replied calmly, attempting to curl her arm through three bag handles at once.

"But you didn't have to bring your entire closet with you!" he reprimanded, doing her a favor and taking two of the bags off of her hands, grimacing at how heavy they both were.

"You were the last person I expected to critique my decision to be fashion conscious," she said with a humph before storming out of the cafe, expecting Kurt to trail after her.

Their subway ride was dominated by Rachel chattering away about how she anticipated her reunion with Finn would go, even going so far as to describe which positions she'd most like to explore when they decided to "reunite their bodies as well as their souls." Kurt begged for a change of topic before they delved too deep into his step-brother and best friend's sex lives, Rachel begrudgingly obliging and discussing her next favorite topic: Funny Girl. She went on and on about the various ongoing dramas that their last few weeks of rehearsals had brought on as they approached previews at harrowing speed. Kurt assured her three times that yes, he would be there for her opening night, and no, he didn't need to hear her sing Don't Rain on My Parade again, he was sure it was coming along fine.

Kurt checked his emails while Rachel droned on, zoning out several times to focus on answering Sue's various last minute questions. He finally turned his phone off once they boarded the plane, excited for three blissful hours free of all things Sue Sylvester. Kurt finally got his chance to talk once they were in the air, Rachel insisting that she tell him all about work and catch her up on all of the episodes of How to Get Away with Murder that she'd missed.

Burt was waiting diligently at baggage claim when they arrived, holding up a handmade sign that read "Kurt and Rachel" – even remembering to include Rachel's signature gold star. Kurt launched at him, abandoning his bag on the ground in favor of wrapping his arms around his dad.

"Welcome back, bud," Burt murmured against his son's shoulder, holding him tight. Burt knew how hard things had been for Kurt since graduation, and finally having him back home eased the everyday worries he had.

Rachel leapt up to them to join in on a massive group hug. Burt eyes went wide as saucers as he caught sight of the mountain of bags stacked behind Rachel, laughing nervously when Rachel assured him that they were all hers. Burt and Kurt lugged as many of Rachel's bags as they could out to the parking lot, where Carole was waiting with Burt's truck and Kurt's beloved car. Kurt ran to embrace his years old vehicle before he greeted Carole, earning him a warranted smack from his dad. They caught up quickly in the parking lot, Rachel doing her best to seem aloof when Carole mentioned Finn being excited to see her. Burt and Carole took Kurt's bags in the truck while Kurt piled Rachel's bags into the trunk and backseat of his car, agreeing to follow them back to the house, but insisting that they desperately needed a caffeine stop.

Burt and Carole watched the cars while Rachel and Kurt shuttled into their old high school haunt, The Lima Bean. The two marveled at how the shop had managed to remain exactly the same, squealing when they caught sight of their usual table, running their fingertips over the table top until they found where they'd carved their initials into the wood during their senior year of high school. Kurt broke away from their reminiscing to grab their drinks, leaving Rachel to sigh wistfully at the photos on the wall, some of them of their old group of friends from high school.

When Kurt returned with their drinks moments later he nearly dropped the steaming paper cups when he caught sight of Rachel talking to none other than Blaine – his Blaine.

"Kurt, look who I found!" Rachel called over, giving Kurt a subtle wink as she tugged him up to her side, beaming at Blaine.

"Blaine?" Kurt said in disbelief, still not believing his eyes. This had to be a dream – he must've passed out on the plane from dehydration or stress or romaine lettuce poisoning.

"The world just keeps getting smaller," Blaine said with a laugh, Rachel laughing far louder than was necessary, smacking Kurt's arm when he didn't join in on the laughter.

"What're you doing here?" Kurt asked, eyeing the books and papers Blaine had scattered on the table.

"Just trying to get some work done. My brother's back home for the holidays and it's impossible to get anything done when he's around," he said with an eye roll.

"I was just telling Blaine that, since he doesn't have any plans for Thanksgiving, he should join us at your house tomorrow," Rachel announced proudly, smiling expectantly at the two.

Blaine blushed as Kurt gave him a confused look. Blaine had never mentioned during their daily conversations that he didn't have any plans for Thanksgiving – in fact he'd made it seem like he was looking forward to finally spending some time with his family.

"We kind of dropped the ball on that one," he admitted sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. "My mom's an ER nurse, so she always has to work at least two holidays every year and she got stuck working Thanksgiving this year. My dad's a lawyer, and he usually doesn't have to work on holidays but he accidentally agreed to go in for a trial scheduled for today. Since our parents are pretty much working all day my brother decided to make plans with some of his Westerville friends, so Thanksgiving is basically cancelled for the Anderson household," he explained, shrugging nonchalantly.

"Oh, Blaine I'm sorry— Kurt began.

"Don't apologize. We're not super into Thanksgiving anyway. We're really Christmas people."

"My dads – I have two gay dads – don't want to support a capitalist holiday like Thanksgiving, hence why I'm spending the day with the Hummel-Hudsons, but we do indulge on Hanukkah," Rachel said with a nod, Kurt shooting her an annoyed glare.

"So, what do you say – want to join our orphan Thanksgiving?" Rachel asked once more, ignoring the daggers Kurt was glaring into her.

Blaine's blush returned in full force as he glanced between Rachel's intense stare and Kurt's mortified expression. "W-well, Kurt… Would that be alright with you?" he asked tentatively.

Kurt bit his lip, ignoring the way Rachel was trying to discreetly pinch his waist. Of course he wanted Blaine to be with him on Thanksgiving – he craved Blaine's presence constantly these days. But he'd already made the decision not to tell his family about Blaine, and bringing him to Thanksgiving, even just as a friend, was sure to arouse their suspicion. Rachel pinched him harder and harder until he finally had to bat her hand away.

"Yeah. You should come," he said with a weak, but sincere smile.

Screw it, he thought. Life was too short to not do the things that would make him happy.

* * *

Blaine was maybe overthinking some parts of his plans for Thanksgiving with Kurt's family… Okay, he was overthinking absolutely everything about Thanksgiving with Kurt's family. He'd texted Kurt to ask for the hundredth time whether it was alright that he was coming. Once Kurt reassured him that he wanted him there, and his family was looking forward to meeting him, Blaine decided to ask the all-important question: what should he bring? Kurt insisted that Blaine not bring anything, as he'd be spending the entirety of Thursday morning and afternoon in the kitchen preparing for dinner – they would have more than enough food to go around.

Blaine's mother had raised him to know that it was in poor taste to visit a home for the first time without a gift offering. The problem was, what kind of family were the Hummel-Hudsons? He could do chocolate – but what if they were diabetic? Or what if they were passionately for either milk or dark and hated the other? He could do wine – but past experience had taught Blaine that people were very particular about what kinds of wines they liked. Besides, he didn't know the first thing about wine and would probably trust his wallet over the descriptions of the 'notes and undertones' which would likely just lead to embarrassment. He could bring flowers, but that would seem tacky on such a food centric holiday. He could bring a pie, but what if they already had the kind that he was planning on bringing? Finally, it came to him.

"Is that a—"

"Quiche!" Blaine announced proudly, cutting Kurt off with a wide grin. "I made it myself."

Kurt rolled his eyes as he took the dish from Blaine, setting it beside the dozens of other wrapped dishes on the kitchen counter. "I told you you didn't have to bring anything," Kurt scolded, gesturing towards the sea of food.

"Well, I'm unexpectedly meeting your family for the first time, and the key to making a good first impression is not coming empty-handed," Blaine said with a firm nod.

Kurt rolled his eyes once more, glancing around the kitchen to ensure that everyone was still occupied in the living room before he slid up closer to Blaine. "You look really handsome tonight," he whispered, running his fingers along Blaine's maroon tie.

"I was just going to say the same about you," Blaine teased, letting his hand glide along Kurt's hip, marveling at the lush cashmere of his golden sweater.

Blaine leaned in slightly, intending to steal a quick kiss, only for Kurt to turn away at the last moment, Blaine's lips puckered in mid-air.

"I'm sorry, but not here." Kurt frowned, squeezing Blaine's hand softly before removing it from his hip, shooting another worried glance at the living room. "Maybe later?" Kurt offered.

Blaine was disappointed by Kurt shooting him down, but immediately perked up at his offer. The prospect of kissing Kurt never failed to put him in good spirits.

"Alright. Let's rip this band-aid off – ready to meet them?" Kurt asked with a nervous smile.

"As ready as I'll ever be," Blaine replied, Kurt frowning at the lack of confidence in Blaine's reply.

"You know you don't have to do this," Kurt reminded him. "Rachel's not here yet, she can't pressure you into anything like she did yesterday."

Blaine turned to Kurt, lightly pinching his arm as opposed to reaching down to take his hand. "I want to do this," he assured one last time.

They stepped into the living room and Blaine tried to tell himself that the room didn't fall entirely silent because of his arrival. Blaine's cheeks flushed as three pairs of eyes glanced from him to Kurt like deers in headlights.

"Everyone, this is Blaine. He's a friend I met through work," Kurt announced, placing one hand high on Blaine's back as he pushed him towards the center of the living room.

The room remained silent, their gazes shifting to one another before someone finally stepped forward.

"It's a pleasure to have you join us, Blaine! My name is Carole, I'm Kurt's step-mom." Carole was the first to approach Blaine, at first reaching out for a hug but switching to a handshake at the last moment.

"I'm Finn," the boy on the couch, beside who Blaine assumed was Kurt's father, announced without standing up.

"Finn, manners!" Carole scolded out of the corner of her mouth, Kurt shooting a glare at him.

"Finn is my step-brother, who can't be bothered to introduce himself properly," Kurt said with a scowl.

"Boys, play nice, it's Thanksgiving," the man beside Finn said sternly. "I'm Burt, Kurt's father," Burt added, standing up and giving Blaine a firm, intimidating handshake.

"Thank you all so much for having me," Blaine thanked, his hand still being lightly crushed by Burt's grip.

Kurt guided Blaine to the armchairs beside the couch, pushing him to sit between himself and Finn. Finn gave Blaine a nod, but remained silent, looking over Blaine's shoulder to try to communicate something to Kurt with his eyes. Kurt shook his head, glaring right through his step-brother before shooting a pleading look to his father.

Burt was the first to speak up, catching sight of his son's unspoken cry for help, asking Blaine to tell them more about himself. Blaine kept things light, avoiding any talk of work or mentioning how exactly he and Kurt met. Burt and Carole quickly warmed up to him, chatting with him about his upbringing in Westerville, his parents – Carole lighting up when she realized she and Blaine's mother had worked together very briefly several years ago – and how he was liking New York. Blaine and Burt bounded over a mutual passion for college football, Finn refusing to chime in despite Burt's nudging him to join the conversation.

Finn remained stoic, arms crossed and sulking in his corner of the room. Kurt's glares were ignored despite their increasing intensity. Kurt attempted to grab his brother and pull him aside to find out what was going on, but Finn managed to deter him each time by either getting up and wandering to his room, or starting up a conversation with his mother.

The room stilled once again when the doorbell rang and Rachel swooped into the room, announcing her presence with a grand flourish, arms full of tinfoil wrapped trays. The trays clattered to the floor as Rachel locked eyes with Finn. Carole fussed around them, Kurt helping her with picking up the abandoned trays while Rachel and Finn walked slowly towards each other. Burt groaned as he turned away from the spectacle, leaning in to whisper to Blaine.

"These two have to make everything so dramatic," he complained.

"I'm home," Rachel whispered, now inches apart from Finn.

"You're home," he responded before they lunged at one another.

They were kissing passionately, as though no one was in the room, their hands traveling one another's bodies – the only thing holding them up was their sheer force of will. There was a collective roll of the eyes from the Hummel-Hudsons at the over enthusiastic display, Kurt and Carole escaping to the kitchen with the trays Rachel had dropped. Burt turned his attention to the television, inviting Blaine to do the same until Rachel and Finn decided to come up for air. He politely declined, sneaking off to the kitchen to help out Carole and Kurt.

"I'm so sorry you had to witness that. Finn and Rachel have a history of dramatic reunions," Kurt apologized, Carole nodding in agreement.

"I'm going to see if I can pry those two apart before they suck all the air out of the room," Carole said with a sigh before heading back into the living room, spatula in hand. Breaking Finn and Rachel apart before things got too graphic had become Carole's specialty.

As soon as the door closed behind Carole Kurt moved in closer to Blaine, taking his hand and lacing their fingers together behind the counter, where they'd be hidden from the view of any onlookers. "I'm really sorry about him."

"He doesn't seem to like me very much," Blaine replied meekly. Many of Blaine's insecurities were rooted in people not liking him, and he hadn't even had a chance to talk to Finn before the other boy had seemingly made up his mind about him.

"It's not you, I promise," Kurt assured. "I've never brought a guy home with me before, and I'm sure Rachel's already gone ahead and told him all about you, even though I specifically told her not to," he said through gritted teeth, his grip on Blaine's hand tightening. "He's just playing the part of the overprotective step brother."

"It's sweet," Blaine said, smiling warmly at Kurt.

"Really? It's not creepy and weird and making you want to run as far away as possible from me?" Kurt asked in one rushed breath, cheeks glistening pink.

Blaine laughed softly, lifting their interlocked fingers and pressing a sweet kiss to each of Kurt's knuckles as he spoke. "Nothing could ever make me run far away from you."

"Not even my step brother?"

"Not even your step brother," Blaine assured, setting their hands back down in their hiding spot before Kurt could worry.

Blaine helped Kurt salvage the dishes Rachel had dropped, scooping lumps of tofu that had broken apart on impact until they vaguely resembled tofurkey. They'd done what they could by the time Carole returned to the kitchen, Rachel in tow. Rachel lit up at the sight of Blaine alongside Kurt, opening her mouth to greet him, only for Kurt to stuff a dinner roll into her mouth before she could speak.

"It's rude to talk with your mouth full, Rachel." He gave her a snide look before looping his arm through hers and roughly pulling her out of the kitchen.

Carole rolled her eyes and shrugged. "I'll never understand those kids." She sighed, Blaine biting back a laugh. He offered to help her with setting the table, which she gladly accepted, ladling his arms full of appetizers and entrees before sending him out to the dining room. Kurt and Rachel reappeared to help out with bringing things to the dining room, Rachel glancing at Blaine with wide-eyes and a tight lipped smile every few minutes. Kurt did his best to keep distance between the two, keeping Rachel thoroughly distracted by sending Finn her way.

Once the table was set they took their seats, Kurt very narrowly rearranging the seating at the last moment to ensure that Blaine was seated between him and Burt as opposed to beside Rachel. Finn attempted to begin serving himself, only for Carole to smack his hand away with her faithful spatula.

"You know the rule, Finn!" she scolded, clearing her throat and signaling for Burt to begin.

"For our newcomers this year." Burt looked to Rachel and Blaine. "We like to take a moment before we dig in to our Thanksgiving feast to reflect and say what we're thankful for. Yes, it's cliche, we know, but Carole and I are suckers for family moments like these, so if you would be so kind as to humor us, we'd appreciate it."

"Can I start?" Finn asked as soon as Burt finished, raising his hand into the air as though he was in a classroom.

Burt and Carole shot each other a look. Finn was typically the most adamant protester of this tradition, wanting to get to the food portion of the evening as quickly as possible.

"Take it away, Finn."

Finn straightened up, putting his hand at his side and turning to face Rachel. He reached for her hands, taking them in his – Blaine could hear an 'oh boy' muttered under Burt's breath.

"This year I'm thankful for Rachel. I mean… every year I'm thankful for her, but now she's this big Broadway star and she has this awesome life in New York, and I'm just really grateful that she's letting me be a part of her journey."

Rachel wiped a tear away from the corner of her eye, careful not to smudge her mascara. She gave Finn a blessedly brief kiss in gratitude, turning back to the table misty-eyed and touched to her core.

"This year I'm thankful for Finn. For keeping me grounded when I thought I'd lost my way," Rachel said, a tear sliding down her cheek as she leaned in for a more passionate kiss this time. The table groaned, waiting until they had pulled apart to continue on.

"Like every year I'm thankful for my family coming together for the holidays." Carole leaned over to nudge her shoulder against Finn's, her son ducking his head bashfully. "But this year I'm also thankful for Burt's clean bill of health." She rested her hand atop Burt's, giving her husband a warm smile as Kurt and Finn nodded in agreement.

Kurt had briefly mentioned his father's spotty medical history during one of their many phone conversations. He'd mentioned that Burt had had a heart attack during Kurt's time at NYADA, causing him to fly back home to Lima to help Carole as best he could in getting him back on his feet – the entire ordeal nearly setting him back an entire semester's worth of classes. Kurt frequently worried about his father's health, the same way his father worried about his son's adjusting to adulthood in the city. The distance between them only caused both of them to worry more than was necessary, with little to do to quell their concerns.

"I'll keep this brief, since I know we just want to get to the food already," Burt said, everyone laughing politely. "This year I'm thankful that I get the peace of mind of knowing I get to have several more years with my family."

Kurt reached across Blaine to squeeze his father's hand, the same way Carole had. Burt smiled, giving both Carole and Kurt's hands reassuring squeezes. Blaine's eyes widened as everyone turned to him expectantly, forgetting that it was now his turn. He stammered at first, wishing he'd used the bit of time he had to come up with something.

"W-well… I'm thankful that I'm finishing up my last year at NYU. And…" Blaine glanced at Kurt out of the corner of his eye, biting his lip. "I'm thankful that I met Kurt. And Rachel. They're wonderful people," Blaine added, to be safe. Rachel perked up, breaking away from Finn to admire at the way Kurt looked at Blaine.

Kurt gazed longingly at Blaine, wishing he could reach out and take Blaine's hand in his and hold him close the way Rachel and Finn had. Finn cleared his throat, urging Kurt to say his piece so they could finally move on to the food. Kurt blinked, breaking his eye contact with Blaine and turning back to the table, flushed and distracted.

"I'm… I'm thankful for my dad and his health, as always," he began, grinning at his father and Carole. "But this year, I'm also thankful for Blaine. This year has been really challenging in lots of ways, and I'm grateful I have a friend like him to keep me sane," Kurt finished, turning to Blaine and giving him a shy smile.

"Aren't friends great?" Rachel mused, still gazing at Kurt and Blaine.

Everyone's plates clattered as Kurt attempted to kick Rachel under the table, missing her foot by inches and smacking the table with full force. Thankfully, the thud was drowned out by the sound of Finn diving right into the food, pulling a drumstick off the turkey and wolfing it down at animalistic speed.

"It's better if you don't look directly at him," Kurt whispered to Blaine when he caught sight of the open mouthed stare he was giving his step-brother.

"It's like a car accident, I can't stop looking," Blaine said in awe, captivated by the way Finn managed to shovel in so much food in one gulp.

Kurt took Blaine's chin in his hands and pulled his face away from Finn's direction, turning Blaine to face him instead. "Why don't you focus on something more appealing?" he whispered just quietly enough for only Blaine to hear.

Blaine bit back a smile, taking a risk and resting a hand against Kurt's thigh, careful to keep his wandering hand concealed by the tablecloth. Blaine watched goosebumps rise along Kurt's arm, but he didn't move away from Blaine's touch, serving himself some mashed potatoes as though nothing had happened. Blaine let his hand linger as long as he could, tracing circles along the seam of Kurt's inner thigh, boldly climbing further and further up until his knuckles brushed against the tablecloth. He pulled his hand away when Burt asked him to pass the sweet potato casserole, Blaine smirking at the quiet, breathy sound that fell from Kurt's lips when the contact was finally broken.

Blaine kept his hands to himself for the remainder of dinner, though the temptation only grew stronger as the night progressed. Carole was generous with her pours when the bottles of white wine Rachel had brought were popped open. After nearly three and a half glasses Blaine's head was swimming just the tiniest bit, and the one slim sane corner of his brain was the only thing keeping him from pulling Kurt into his arms and nuzzling into the sweet, flawless skin of his neck.

The buzz spread throughout the room as everyone indulged on more food and drink than they'd typically allow, limbs loose and giggles bubbling up over the silliest of things. By the time they'd all stumbled into the living room post-meal the only person who hadn't succumbed to the lure of too much wine was Burt, who was on a strict alcohol free diet. He rolled his eyes as Finn and Kurt argued over what stores to visit first during Black Friday, both of them getting far too heated and red in the face, despite the fact that they were both too inebriated to complete their sentences. Rachel and Blaine held the boys back from one another as insults started to fly, Burt putting an end to things after Finn called Kurt a 'fashion monkey.'

"Enough, new rule, no fighting on Thanksgiving!" Burt announced, banging a hand on the arm of the couch to enact it as law.

Finn and Kurt sat at opposite ends of the couch, their arms crossed and pouts firmly in place as they refused to look at one another. Rachel did her best to console Finn, assuring him that she could drive him to the mall tomorrow morning so that he and Kurt wouldn't kill each other over where to go first. Blaine sat beside Kurt and did his best to console him without arousing any suspicion from the others.

Somehow Blaine wound up with his head in Kurt's lap – Kurt hyper focused on running his fingers through Blaine's loose curls. Kurt needed something to occupy his hands to keep them from wringing Finn's neck, and Blaine was happy to offer himself as a suitable alternative.

"You should wear it like this more often, without all the gel," Kurt observed as he wound a curl tight around his finger and released it.

"Are you saying you don't like the gel?" Blaine teased.

Kurt glanced around him, ensuring that no one was eavesdropping before he turned back to Blaine, leaning in slightly closer to him when he spoke. "I like you all the time – but a little bit more so without the gel."

"I'm wounded." Blaine clutched his heart and pulled himself out of Kurt's lap and pretended to keel over beside him. Kurt doubled over in laughter, unable to control himself as hysterical tears began to flow freely down his cheeks. Everything was too funny, too infuriating, too wonderful.

Burt watched fondly as Blaine resurrected himself long enough to tenderly wipe away Kurt's tears, holding his face in his hands until the laughter had ceased and the tears had dried. Burt leaned over to turn up the volume on the TV as the opening chords of one of his favorite classics began to play.

"C'mon, babe, we've gotta show the kids how it's done," he called out to Carole, holding out his hand and pulling her into his arms as they danced along to Sinatra's You Make Me Feel So Young.

Rachel bounced up to her feet, pulling Finn up with her and guiding him to the center of the room. Finn and his notorious two left feet stumbled over Rachel for a few seconds before finally finding the right rhythm, a stupidly wide grin on his face as he finally got into the swing of things. Blaine rolled himself gently off of the couch, getting down on one knee before Kurt, who was watching Burt and Carole adoringly.

"Can I have this dance?" Blaine held his hand out for Kurt to take – the other boy stifling a hiccup and a giggle behind his hand before happily taking Blaine's in his.

Blaine guided them to a spot a safe distance from the other dancing couples – and an especially safe distance from Finn, who had lost his rhythm and tripped over the carpet, sending a vase to the ground that would've shattered it had it not landed on the carpet. The dancing couples continued on, paying no mind to the fallen vase.

Blaine relished the rare moment in which he could press himself close to Kurt without the fear of detection, his hand on Kurt's waist, their palms clasped together. They swayed together slow at first, finding their rhythm with one another before speeding things up. Blaine happily spun Kurt, pulling him in close to his chest each time he spun back into him, letting his lips glide just so against the back of his neck. They sang along with Burt and Rachel, Carole too busy giggling and Finn too focused on not tripping again to join in.

Perhaps it was the wine, or the high of being so close to Kurt after so much longing, that brought back that same boldness that had brought them together all those months ago. Without warning Blaine pulled Kurt in and dipped him, the other boy gasping at the unexpected move, their faces mere inches apart as Blaine gingerly lifted Kurt back up. Their eyes locked as they kept dancing, their bodies moving in closer and closer, toeing the line of what was appropriate for such an audience. Blaine pushed his luck, attempting to dip Kurt once more, chasing that sensation that had settled low in his stomach when he'd done it the first time.

They weren't so lucky the second time – Kurt's foot slipping just so on the carpet, pulling Blaine down with him as they crashed against the ground. Blaine collapsed atop Kurt, catching himself just quickly enough to keep their heads from colliding. Kurt groaned, reaching back to cup the bump that was now forming on the back of his head.

"Are you okay?! I'm so sorry, I should've warned you before I did that," Blaine apologized frantically, his hand flying up to cup Kurt's to ensure that he wasn't seriously injured or bleeding.

"Don't apologize," Kurt mumbled, shaking himself off and lifting up onto his elbows, swallowing hard as he realized Blaine's face – and more importantly, his lips – were now closer than before.

"Alright, no more dancing for you two," Burt teased – the other couples had stopped dancing to ensure that Kurt and Blaine were alright.

Blaine looked up, realizing that they were completely surrounded by Kurt's friends and family, several sets of eyes giving them suspicious looks. Blaine flew off of Kurt immediately, brushing himself off quickly before helping Kurt stand back up – both of them flushed to the roots of their hair. They stood a safe distance apart as Carole cooed over them, looking them over to ensure that no damage had been done to either of them.

"Maybe this is a sign that it's time to get ready for bed." Burt stretched his arms over his head, letting out a drawn out yawn. Finn nodded in agreement, shooting Rachel a knowing look.

"Blaine, if you don't feel comfortable driving home tonight you're welcome to sleep on the air mattress in Kurt's room," Carole offered sweetly, glancing knowingly between the two boys.

Kurt bit his lip as he awaited Blaine's response. Blaine went stiff, turning to Kurt for guidance. "I wouldn't want to intrude on Kurt's space…"

"You wouldn't be intruding," Kurt answered far more quickly and eagerly than he should have.

Carole bit back a grin, patting the two boys on the back. "I'll go get the air mattress set up."

Rachel and Finn had managed to sneak away while Carole, Kurt, and Blaine worked on blowing up the air mattress, running straight for Finn's room and locking the door behind them.

"Doors open, you know the rule!" Carole called up to Finn.

"Mom, I'm an adult!" Finn protested through the door.

"You still live in our house under our rules," Burt called back, backing up his wife.

Blaine snuck a confused look at Kurt – curious if the open door rule would apply to them as well. As far as Burt and Carole knew, he and Kurt were nothing but good friends – plus, they technically didn't even know that Blaine was gay. Kurt shrugged, but held up two sets of crossed fingers behind his back, Blaine doing the same for luck.

Blaine offered to take the reins on getting the air mattress set up, insisting that Carole let him handle the heavy lifting. Kurt agreed, doing his best to send Carole off to bed with Burt, who had already made his way to the bedroom to retire for his post-Thanksgiving rest. Carole fussed for a bit, pulling spare pillows and blankets from the hall closet, arranging them just so before finally pattering off to her own room.

The mood of the room shifted the instant the door closed behind Carole. A simmering tension lingered in the air as Kurt and Blaine locked eyes from across the room. Kurt dropped the quilt he'd been unfolding onto his bed carelessly, biting his lip as he tentatively took a step backwards towards the en-suite bathroom.

"I'll get ready for bed first."

His hand was on the knob, his body turned just slightly when Blaine launched across the room to close the distance between them. One hand went to Kurt's hip, pulling his body up against Blaine's, the other to his cheek, holding him steady as Blaine leaned up to capture his lips. He pressed Kurt gently against the wood of the door behind him, his thumb gliding beneath the fabric of Kurt's sweater to swipe at the bare patch of skin.

"Sorry," Blaine whispered against Kurt's lips when they pulled apart moments later. "It's just I've wanted to do that all night."

Kurt responded by pulling Blaine in by the waist, their hips slotting together. "And I've wanted to do this all night." He pulled Blaine in by the tie and kissed him until he was vibrating in his own skin.

Kurt finally broke the kiss with one last harsh suck on Blaine's bottom lip, leaving him quivering when the other boy managed to slide out from underneath him. "Be back in a minute," he whispered before disappearing into the bathroom.

Blaine exhaled harshly, running his hands through his curls as he collapsed back onto the air mattress. He curled up atop the covers, willing his body to cease its trembling, still reeling from the breathless wonder that was kissing Kurt. Kurt re-emerged from the bathroom in a cloud of lavender and lemon scented steam, his hair falling gracefully over his eyes as he shrugged on a loose tank top. He slid into his own bed, body hidden beneath the covers.

"You can join me if you want," he offered, Blaine immediately jumping at the chance to get closer to him.

Kurt laughed softly, lifting up the covers for Blaine to slot alongside him, grinning at the warm pressure of Blaine's body against his. Blaine had removed his button down shirt while Kurt had been gone, stripped down to his undershirt and slacks – his clothed legs brushing against Kurt's bare skin. Before Blaine's hands could return to Kurt's body their lips are pressed together once more, their hands lingering in the space between them before slowly mapping their way across each other.

They kissed lazily for what felt like hours – Blaine slowly becoming light headed as his limbs grew tired and the breaks in between kisses for breath become shorter and shorter. Kurt was the one to finally break the kiss for longer than a few seconds, resting his forehead against Blaine's, the tips of their noses brushing.

"Thank you for coming tonight." Kurt whispered, his breath warm against Blaine's kiss-swollen lips.

"Thank you for having me," Blaine replied, pressing a sweet kiss to Kurt's forehead.

Slowed down by their exhaustion and the downhill after effects of all the wine, neither of them could find the energy to do more than exchange slow kisses, fingertips exploring patches of bare skin at a glacial pace, the frantic, desperate need to touch and be touched melting away into a desire to just be close to one another. Kurt was the first to fall asleep, his chest rising and falling beneath Blaine's arm, looped firmly around his waist. Blaine gingerly pulled Kurt in closer to him, smiling when the other boy snuffled in his sleep, nuzzling against Blaine's chest on his own. Blaine considered pulling himself away to quickly change out of his slacks and socks, but couldn't bring himself to break his hold on Kurt, falling asleep in the midst of his admiring just how peaceful Kurt looked curled up against him.

The next morning – or at least Blaine assumed it was morning – he was awoken by a tickle against his jaw. He sat up slightly, startled when he realized he didn't recognize his surroundings. A warm body slid into his lap, straddling his hips. Blaine groaned as his hands flew up to grip Kurt's waist, memories of the previous night rushing back to him.

"Well, good morning to you too," Blaine mumbled as Kurt's lips glided along his collarbone, jolting him out of his half-asleep daze.

"Good morning," Kurt replied, nipping at the skin beneath Blaine's collarbone, licking over the bruise that had already begun to form.

Kurt's lips trailed up along Blaine's neck to his jaw to his lips, his palms resting atop Blaine's chest. Blaine's fingers traced the smooth exposed patch of skin between Kurt's tank top and his boxer briefs, pulling the fabric up along with him as his hands roamed up Kurt's back.

"Is this okay?" Kurt asked breathily once they broke apart, pulling back and resting on Blaine's thighs.

Blaine responded by pulling at the hem of Kurt's tank top, lifting it up and over his head, a moan falling from Kurt's lips as Blaine's chilled palms slid along the pale skin of his chest. "More than okay," he finally replied, lips nipping at the curve of Kurt's ear, palms curling on the clothed swell of his ass.

Kurt panted beneath Blaine's hold, arching his neck and sliding his hips until they were flush against Blaine's once more. Blaine pulled back to take hold of Kurt's hip, guiding him until his ass was snug over Blaine's cock, already straining against the thin material of his slacks. Kurt's breath hitched at the feeling of Blaine already hard against him, his fingers nimbly sliding between their bodies to undo his button and zipper. Blaine whined when Kurt pulled himself out of Blaine's grip, sliding down his body and pulling down his slacks enough to mouth wetly at his cock through the fabric of his underwear.

Blaine hissed at the unexpected contact, his fingers curling in Kurt's sleep mussed hair. It had been so long since he'd last had the pleasure of feeling Kurt against his skin – his body quickly going into overload, everything becoming too much too fast. He hardened beneath Kurt's mouth embarrassingly quickly, his cock leaking before Kurt even had a chance to remove his underwear.

"I'm not gonna last long if you keep doing that," Blaine warned, frowning when Kurt pulled away from him, licking his lips wickedly.

"It's a good thing I've already prepped myself then," he replied with an impish smirk, ignoring Blaine's look of shock in favor of pulling his own underwear off, followed by Blaine's slacks and underwear.

"Wha— when?" Blaine asked exasperatedly, his words ending with a moan as Kurt slid back onto his lap, his cock sliding between Kurt's cheeks, catching on his slick hole.

"While you were sleeping," Kurt answered casually, grinding himself against Blaine's cock.

"God, you're so hot," Blaine murmured before rolling his tongue along one of Kurt's nipples, lapping slow circles until he could feel the nub harden beneath his tongue.

"I… I don't have any condoms here." Blaine stiffened at Kurt's words, feeling the other boy tense up once he sensed Blaine's hesitation.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Blaine asked, begrudgingly pulling himself away from Kurt's chest.

Kurt nodded, his expression oddly shy in comparison to how bold and forward he'd been just seconds earlier. "I haven't been with anyone but you for the past year," he admitted, turning his head to conceal his blush, only for Blaine to grab his chin and gently turn him back to face him.

Blaine always took advantage of the free STD screenings through NYU's health center – his last screening having been over the previous winter after an ill-advised hook up with his ex. "I haven't been with anyone else either." His fingers cupped the sharp edge of Kurt's jaw, pulling him down for a slow, tender kiss.

He'd never engaged in unprotected sex before, and the thought had never even crossed his mind. Yet, the thought of something so intimate with Kurt made his heart race, his body tingling with the instant craving to be closer to Kurt than he'd ever been with anyone else. Blaine's fingers gripped Kurt's waist tightly as he seated himself over Blaine's cock once more, digging hard enough to press bruises into the supple skin. Kurt coated his hand with lube, generously applying it to Blaine's cock.

Blaine let out an obscene moan as Kurt began to sink down on his cock, Kurt cutting the sound off as he crashed their lips together. He kept Blaine's lips on his as he established a steady rhythm, rocking his hips down against Blaine's at an almost teasing pace. It took all the strength Blaine had left in him not to cry out at the euphoric feeling of Kurt stretching and tightening around him, tight and pliant and so devastatingly beautiful.

Kurt had the self restraint of a saint as his lips parted in ecstasy with each drag down the length of Blaine's cock, but only emitting the quietest of sounds, painfully aware of his family in the rooms above them. Blaine fell flat against the mattress, Kurt's fingers curling around the damp material of Blaine's undershirt for balance. Blaine's palms alternated from gripping Kurt's hips, pulling him down with enough force to make their skin slap wetly with each thrust, to kneading the soft globes of Kurt's ass, his fingers leaving rough red marks in their wake. Blaine did what he could to make himself last as long as possible – going so far as to try to conjure up the image of his brother obnoxiously shoving his tongue down his (now ex) girlfriend's throat at Christmas dinner the previous year.

The sight of Kurt alone, eyes closed and lips parted, working at his own pace to pleasure himself atop Blaine was enough to send him toppling over the edge if he let it. Blaine kept himself distracted in any way he could, letting out a stream of jumbled words to keep his mind focused on something, anything else. Blaine could hear Kurt giggling close to his ear, his hips stilling for a moment.

"You can cum if you want to," he teased, taking advantage of his positioning to nibble and tug on Blaine's earlobe.

"You sure?" Blaine's palm glided soothingly along the knobs of Kurt's spine.

Kurt nodded, giving Blaine a quick kiss before lifting himself back up. He bounced on Blaine's cock with more force than before, using one hand to brace himself and the other to stroke his own cock. Kurt's self restraint finally began to crumble as Blaine held him in a bruising tight grip, bucking his own hips up to meet each of Kurt's thrusts. Kurt sang out a symphony of profanities as he gave up on his own resolve, reminding himself once again that life was too short to not do the things he enjoyed – and if that meant crying out to the high heavens while riding Blaine into his boyhood mattress, so be it.

Blaine came first, letting out a choked, guttural sob of a sound as his vision was clouded by stars. He kept his vice grip on Kurt's hips, letting him ride out the last remaining moments before he reached his own climax, spilling along Blaine's chest before falling forward, just barely catching himself by bracing his arms at Blaine's sides. Blaine carefully wrapped his arm around Kurt's waist, flipping them until he was hovering over Kurt, shifting to pull himself out of the other boy's clenched heat when Kurt's hands went to Blaine's cheeks, locking his ankles around Blaine's waist, keeping them pressed close.

"I need you to remember this moment." The words came out as more of a command than a sentimental statement.

"Why?"

"Because you're about to see me at my worst."

Blaine's brow furrowed, attempting to shift himself further from Kurt to get a better look at him, only for Kurt to tighten his legs' hold around Blaine. Blaine retaliated by pulling Kurt's hands from his cheeks, pining his wrists down beside his head.

"Is this the part where you reveal that you've been a serial killer this whole time?" Blaine whispered hotly against Kurt's ear.

Kurt giggled, shaking his head and moving away from the tickle of Blaine's words against his ear. "Much, much worse," he mocked.

Blaine leaned back, but kept his hold on Kurt's wrists firm. "You've lost me."

Kurt bit back a grin, a new, non-sexual sparkle in his eyes. "You're coming Black Friday shopping with me."

It was then that Blaine recalled Kurt's argument with Finn the previous evening. They'd gone back and forth about when to wake up for their shopping spree, Kurt insisting that they get up as early as possible, which Finn passionately opposed.

"Kurt, what time is it?" Blaine asked tentatively, just realizing that there was only the faintest traces of sunlight streaming in through the window beside Kurt's bed.

Kurt wriggled his left wrist out of Blaine's hold, finding his phone in a tangle of sheets. "Five A.M," he answered nonchalantly.

Blaine gawked, looking out the window again to confirm that the sun was definitely only just beginning to rise. He carefully pulled himself out of Kurt, the other boy whimpering at the sensation as Blaine collapsed beside him.

"So you woke me up at 5am to have sex all as part of your ploy to get me to go Black Friday shopping with you?" he asked with a raised brow.

"For the record, I've been up since 4:30, and you were always going to come Black Friday shopping with me, I just figured the morning sex could be an advanced reward for your bravery," Kurt replied with a shrug.

"Does this mean there's a reward for surviving this harrowing excursion?" Blaine's arm slid around Kurt's middle, pulling him snug against his chest.

Kurt hummed in thought, resting his head against Blaine's bicep. "I think we can have something arranged for good behavior."

* * *

All jokes aside, Kurt really was an entirely different person on Black Friday. After some lighthearted t easing he rolled out of bed and demanded Blaine do the same. Kurt pulled Blaine along into the shower with him, only to enforce a strict no touching rule – they were there to save time and water and that was all. When Blaine attempted to slide a hand along Kurt's side he was smacked away with a loofah. When he went in for a quick kiss while they lathered one another's hair Kurt turned away, giving Blaine his cheek instead.

"Is your plan to torture me until I give in to your every wish?" Blaine begged when Kurt turned his back to him.

"Maybe," Kurt replied, turning to give Blaine a wink over his shoulder.

Everyone was still fast asleep when they finally made their way to the living room, dressed and ready for battle. Kurt briefed Blaine on the rules of Black Friday as they drove to the nearby mall – the first, nothing stands in Kurt's way, including family and cute boys with lingering hands – and the second, never buy anything that isn't at least sixty-five percent off. The rules were simple enough, and yet Blaine still found himself breaking the former when he slid an arm around Kurt's waist while he went over a map of the mall he'd printed out, Kurt nearly biting his arm off in the process.

"If you can't keep your hands to yourself then you can stay in the car," Kurt warned sternly.

Blaine swallowed hard – Kurt really did take shopping seriously. He nodded his acknowledgement of the rules before returning to Kurt's side. He stood by diligently while Kurt mapped out what stores he wanted to hit first, making notes on his map of what he'd need to focus on. He struggled to keep up with Kurt once they entered the mall, stunned to find that there were already hundreds of people roaming about.

"Is there something in the water in Lima that makes everyone go nuts for Black Friday?" Blaine asked Kurt as he caught sight of two women brawling over a striped sweater at Macy's.

"You're lucky you've never experienced Black Friday in New York. That's how I got this scar." Kurt pointed to a pink, raised mark just below his chin. "Never again," he muttered darkly.

Surprisingly, Kurt was the one to break his own rule. After nearly losing Blaine at the Gap Kurt made sure to hold the other boy's hand in a vice grip, never letting go as they navigated their way through the maze of the mall. When Kurt needed to briefly let go of Blaine's hands to fold up a sweater he decided wasn't worth the hassle he didn't flinch away when Blaine's arm wrapped around his waist.

After Kurt assured him that Rachel and Finn would be spending the day at a mall closer to Rachel's house, and that Burt and Carole refused to participate in the madness the tension in Blaine's shoulders lifted. For once they didn't have to peek around every corner or scan every room to ensure that no one they knew was around. They were free to link fingers and exchange mindless quick kisses without having to think five steps ahead of anyone who might see them. Kurt saw a handful of people from his high school but paid them no mind, usually waving hello before shuttling himself and Blaine away. High school hadn't been the best for Kurt, and that was all he was willing to say in the moment. Rachel was the only real friend he'd made and kept, and he was perfectly fine with that.

They wandered through store after store, Blaine playing the role of the dutiful partner, holding hangers and stacks of boxes for Kurt while he browsed for gifts for himself and for his family. He gave opinions when necessary, and weighed in whenever a tough decision had to be made. He kept Kurt grounded and told him cheesy knock-knock jokes whenever he found himself raring to attack another shopper until he'd calmed down. When Kurt nearly got into a fist fight with a woman over a pair of boots he dragged Blaine to the bathroom with him, insisting that he needed a make out session to extinguish his boiling frustration – Blaine happily followed along, more than willing to help.

While Blaine was being exposed to an entirely new side of Kurt he wouldn't have said that it was him at his worst. There was something fascinating about watching Kurt shop. His eyes narrowed and his brow furrowed as he calculated where to go next, what to grab, what was worth the money and what wasn't. His eyes would sparkle every time they caught sight of something he'd had on his list, letting out a triumphant squeal of joy every time he managed to snag it before someone else did, or a territorial growl when someone beat him to it. It was captivating, like watching a lion out on the hunt.

They settled down hours later in the food court for breakfast – Blaine astonished that he'd managed to make it this long without food or coffee. Kurt pulled his map back out, making more notes and humming to himself while he picked at the remains of his blueberry muffin.

"Have I scared you off yet?" he asked when he finally looked up from his notes.

Blaine laughed, shaking his head as he took a sip of coffee. "Not just yet, but we still haven't hit Nordstrom."

"A test only few will survive," Kurt mused.

Before Kurt could turn back to his map Blaine reached out for his cheek, pulling him back towards him and kissing him softly. Kurt jumped slightly in surprise, dropping the pen in his hand but quickly reciprocating the kiss, his hand resting atop Blaine's. He didn't pull away when the kiss lasted longer than anticipated, letting himself stay in Blaine's warm embrace for just a moment longer. Blaine's thumb stroked along the apple of Kurt's cheek when they pulled apart, tracing the dusting of freckles.

"It's going to be really easy for me to fall in love with someone like you," Blaine admitted, Kurt inhaling sharply.

Blaine was beginning to regret being so candid with Kurt as he watched the other boy's eyes flicker around the food court, averting his gaze. He opened his mouth, intending to apologize, only to find Kurt's lips on his before he could speak. Kurt kissed him harder than Blaine had earlier, kissing him with purpose and intention, his hand resting on Blaine's knee.

When they pulled apart Kurt was biting back a smile, turning shyly back to his map, glancing around them once for good measure to ensure that no one was staring or jeering. Blaine grinned, tearing his eyes away from Kurt to sheepishly turn back to his coffee and croissant. They sat beside one another in comfortable silence, their blushes slowly beginning to fade. Kurt rested his free hand atop Blaine's, his thumb absentmindedly gliding back and forth along Blaine's knuckles.

They finished out the rest of their day without any mention of Blaine's confession or further talk of love. Kurt's grip on Blaine's hand had loosened from its vice grip, choosing to interlock their fingers instead. His first rule had slackened considerably. Kurt leaned in to Blaine whenever they were stuck waiting on seemingly endless lines, resting his head on his shoulder or chest, whispering in his ear or tracing his fingers along the lining of his sweater. In Nordstrom Blaine fumbled when Kurt asked him to grab the last of a pair of dark wash jeans, grabbing the wrong pair by accident and letting an overzealous soccer mom snatch up the pair Kurt had wanted. He'd expected a tirade, an explosion, or a combination of the two. Instead Kurt sighed and shrugged, crossing the item off of his list.

"I guess you can't win them all." He gave Blaine a sympathetic kiss on the cheek before pushing their cart along.

That's when Blaine knew that even if he hadn't said it, Kurt felt the same way.


	8. Chapter 8

Once back in New York Blaine couldn't help chasing after the wonderful, fleeting feeling of being able to be open to the world with Kurt. He craved the simple luxury of holding his hand wherever he wanted, of kissing him on the cheek or on the tip of the nose or on the lips when they had to say goodbye. Hell, they couldn't even talk on the phone without ensuring they had total privacy.

Of course Blaine would rather have Kurt in private than not have him at all - that was undeniable, but now that he'd had his taste of freedom his thoughts were consumed with plans to get them far, far away from the prying eyes of New York City. When Mike and Tina decided to head out of town to celebrate their anniversary at a B&B in upstate, Blaine jumped at the chance to have Kurt over to his apartment for the first time. The timing was perfect - Rachel was planning on staying in the apartment that weekend, so Kurt coming over to his place would mean he wouldn't have to sleep on the couch for 3 days in a row. When Blaine had proposed the idea during one of their evening phone calls Kurt was still reluctant.

"C'mon, it's perfect! Mike and Tina almost never go out of town, so we can have the apartment to ourselves and I live so far uptown there's no way you're going to run into anyone from work!" Blaine knew he was pushing this harder than he should have, but he couldn't help himself. All he wanted was to spend an evening with Kurt on the couch, watching movies the way regular couples do - was that so much to ask?

"I don't know… I've never found another place to stay while Rachel's been over before. She might get suspicious, especially after everything at Thanksgiving."

Rachel had been hot on Kurt's tail the second he returned from Black Friday shopping, having dropped Blaine off back at his own home in Westerville. Every moment she hadn't spent wrapped up with Finn was spent interrogating Kurt about what had happened between him and Blaine overnight. Rachel swore up and down that she'd heard them in the early hours of the morning getting up to 'no good' - but Kurt assured her that nothing had happened, and she desperately needed to get her hearing checked out.

"She's been looking over my shoulder every time my phone buzzes. I had to change your contact name in my phone to 'Guy From Gym,'" Kurt lamented.

"Hm, and she's not questioning any of those texts from Guy From Gym?" Blaine teased.

"Thankfully all of the Guy From Gym texts she's seen have been PG. But at this point I think I'd welcome her thinking I'm hooking up with some guy I met at my yoga class."

Despite one last attempt at convincing Kurt to come over for the weekend, Kurt was still too hesitant to take up the offer. Blaine did his best not to feel too defeated by Kurt turning him down, vowing to think of a more foolproof plan for them to finally get some alone time. There was always Westchester - but what was there to do in Westchester. And of course there was Queens, but that was still a bit too close for comfort. And then it hit him.

"We should spend a weekend in New Jersey," Blaine proposed during their night phone call two weeks after his initial invitation for Kurt to stay over at his place.

New Jersey was the perfect oasis away from the city - though most wouldn't consider it much of an oasis. It was far away enough that Kurt and Blaine wouldn't have to look over their shoulders constantly, but still close enough that they could still hop on a train to get there and back.

"You might be the first person to willingly suggest a trip to New Jersey," Kurt teased. "Why would we spend a weekend in Jersey?"

Blaine clammed up, wringing his fingers as he considered his reply. He had assumed that the desire for alone time was mutual, considering Kurt very much appeared to have enjoyed himself during their time in Ohio. Yet Blaine was the only one looking for alternatives to their current situation. He'd pushed one invitation already, if he was turned down for a second time maybe it wouldn't be worth bringing up again. They were in the final stretch of the internship as the interns' last day, and the holiday party, began to approach. The possible end of their secretive relationship was finally in sight, but even so Blaine couldn't help but be greedy. He wanted Kurt now - wanted him always, really - and was growing weary at the prospect of several more weeks on the horizon.

"I thought we could rent a place for the weekend, or something… Y'know… To be alone," he confessed shyly, chewing on his bottom lip as he spoke up again before Kurt could respond. "I love our phone calls - they're the highlight of my day, and I love texting you, but… I just thought maybe if we left town for a few days we could actually spend some time together… in person." Blaine scowled to himself as he finished pleading his case, already beginning to criticize himself over the way he decided to phrase how he'd felt.

"Oh," was all Kurt said. The silence stretched on between them, the line filled with static and background noise.

"Please say something," Blaine pleaded, the silence deafening as it allowed his mind to pound with insecurities.

"I'm sorry, I'm thinking," Kurt apologized quickly, Blaine relaxing a bit. "It wouldn't be the same as Ohio. New Jersey is across a river, Ohio is hundreds of miles away."

Blaine's shoulders sagged - as much as he hated to admit it, Kurt was right. New Jersey wouldn't grant them the same privacy that Ohio had, there was still a slim chance of running into someone they knew. His need to be close to Kurt - to touch him, kiss him, hold him - had blinded his better judgement.

"Right, no yeah totally. You're right. Forget I said anything," Blaine mumbled, already turning back to his laptop to pull up the episode of _Great British Bake Off_ they'd left off at.

"I never said it was a bad idea," Kurt said after a moment of hesitation.

Blaine stiffened, closing his laptop and turning his full attention back to Kurt. "Are you saying you're interested?" he asked tentatively.

Kurt sighed. "I'm saying I have to do more research, but it's a possibility."

Blaine did his best to hold back a yelp of excitement. Kurt hadn't said yes just yet - but he'd gone from feeling flat out rejected to a maybe, and that was certainly progress.

"I want that too - alone time, with you," Kurt added. "It seems like every night I'm just replaying that morning in Ohio." Kurt's voice slid higher in pitch, breathier, more tentative.

Blaine's brows shot up at Kurt's words, a jolt of sudden arousal going straight to his cock. His desire for alone time with Kurt had been mostly chaste in nature - he'd spent more time fantasizing about actually getting to talk to Kurt in person instead of over text or the phone or over the water cooler at the office than what they would get up to the minute they were in a room alone together. But he would be lying if he said the memory of his morning wake up call in Lima hadn't crossed his mind while in the shower on a number of occasions.

"Is that so?" Blaine teased, leaning back onto his bed, holding the phone as close to his ear as he could. Kurt was usually the one to tease or play coy - but two could play at that game.

"Mhm," Kurt hummed in response, Blaine smirking at the simple reply.

"Why don't you tell me what you get up to when those thoughts are going through your head every night?"

Kurt's breath hitched. "Are we really going to do this?"

"If you want to?"

"Oh god I definitely want to. I don't think my body could handle just teasing right now," Kurt replied breathlessly.

Blaine laughed softly, turning up the volume on the music he was playing to drown out he and Kurt's conversation, shifting it closer to the wall of the door before laying back on his bed and plugging in his headphones.

"Alright, I'm all yours."

That night they abandoned their usual routine - leaving the _Great British Bake Off_ for another day. The next morning Mike greeted Blaine in the kitchen with a theory that their apartment now had a resident ghost - he'd heard suspicious moaning in the middle of the night.

"You probably didn't hear it, you had your music blasting."

Blaine didn't have it in him to protest - agreeing that they probably did have a ghost sharing the apartment with them and suggesting that they watch Ghostbusters to get Mike's mind off the ordeal. He happily agreed, and when Kurt and Blaine decided to break their usual routine once again that night, Mike said nothing more of the suspicious moans the following morning.

* * *

Much to Blaine's surprise, Kurt was the one to bring the New Jersey possibility back up again. He gave Kurt his space on the matter to give him ample time to do any research he needed, and with the recent spontaneous change in their nightly routine he'd nearly forgotten all about his suggestion.

"I think I found a place in Jersey where we could stay," Kurt mentioned casually over text on a Thursday morning.

A link to an AirBnB listing followed after the text, Blaine nearly dropping his phone in his haste to open up the attachment. He grinned as he scrolled through the listing for a modest one bedroom home in a town located ten minutes from the train station. The town was small, but quaint - it boasted a sizable farmer's market on weekends, free admission to the local art museum on Saturdays, and a shuttle to an apple orchard just five miles away. The price was on the higher end of the budget Blaine had modestly proposed, but certainly wouldn't break the bank. In short: it was perfect.

Blaine hastily responded that he was more than happy with the place if Kurt was, and just like that their weekend getaway was booked for the following week. While the town was small enough and far away enough that Kurt didn't anticipate running into any issues, he still did his research to put together some necessary precautions. On Friday Blaine left the office first at 6, as he and the rest of the interns always did. Kurt typically stayed latest on Fridays to ensure that Sue's weekend schedule was bulletproof - saving him from having to do any extra work over the weekend. Blaine headed straight for the NJ transit station, the plan being that Blaine would head straight to the place they were staying, get settled, and Kurt would head over whenever he had finally finished up with work.

Blaine decided to explore the town for a bit before heading to the apartment - admiring the outlandish Christmas decorations that had been set up on several lawns. He picked up some basic groceries and finally made his way to the apartment. The place was cozy - more so than it had appeared in the listing. Blaine smiled when he caught sight of the piano in the corner of the room, and a cabinet full of antiques beside it. He could already hear the squeal Kurt would let out when he saw it. Blaine kept occupied by making himself at home, unpacking his things and putting away the groceries before collapsing onto the couch to watch television.

He realized he should be worried when 9pm came and went and Kurt still hadn't arrived, or even texted him that he was on his way. Blaine began to nibble away at what was left of his fingernails as he began to pace the living room. His texts asking Kurt where he was had gone unanswered and his calls straight to voicemail. He tried focusing his attention on something, anything on TV but his mind kept wandering back to Kurt. He'd wanted to wait for Kurt to get back to order dinner, but his rumbling stomach did him in. The pizza came in 45 minutes, but there was still no sign of Kurt.

The knock at the door just after 10 nearly sent Blaine into cardiac arrest. He let out a quiet scream of surprise, shaking his head at his overreaction as he rushed to open the door. There Kurt was, finally, shoulders sagging under the weight of his bag and dark circles that hadn't been there when Blaine had left the office lined his eyes.

"My phone died," Kurt said the moment the door opened. "And I know you must've been worried, but Sue made me stay until she'd sorted out all of these problems she had with her computer and it was just taking way longer than it should've, and then my train was delayed a-and… I'm sorry. I was looking forward to this all week and I've already ruined it."

It was clear that Kurt was on the verge of tears, his lower lip quivering and his shoulders shaking as he did his best to maintain his composure in front of Blaine. Blaine quickly shook his head, shushing him before pulling him into his arms.

"You didn't ruin anything," he whispered against Kurt's hair, pressing a soft kiss to his temple.

Kurt sniffled, taking in a deep breath to calm himself before slowly pulling out of Blaine's hold to properly step into the apartment. "So, why don't you give me the grand tour?" he said, smiling - Blaine happily taking the bait to change the topic to something more lighthearted.

Blaine took Kurt's hand and guided him through the apartment, showing him the bedroom first so he could drop off his overnight bag before showing him the living room with a grand flourish. He was in the midst of a boyish ramble about his excitement about there being a piano in the apartment when a rumble from Kurt's stomach cut Blaine off mid-sentence. Kurt flushed, laughing nervously as his hands went to his stomach.

"Sorry, all I've had to eat today was a bagel."

Blaine lit up, remembering the meal he'd put together during his craze to distract himself from Kurt's absence. He quickly pulled Kurt into the kitchen, pulling the wide array of food out of the kitchen and setting it down on the counter.

"This seems like an awful lot for two people," Kurt said warily as he watched Blaine struggle to grab everything from the fridge in one trip.

"Well, I wasn't sure what you wanted on your pizza, and since your phone was dead you never responded to me. So, I did a large pizza with different kinds of toppings on each quarter so you could get at least three slices you might like. I had the same problem when I tried to get ice cream for dessert. I remembered you had chocolate at Thanksgiving, so I did one pint of chocolate, but I wasn't sure if that was just a one time thing for you. So I also got vanilla, and mint chocolate, in case you're into more subtle chocolate flavors," Blaine finally finished, out of breath.

Kurt stood open mouthed as Blaine explained the spread before him. His eyes roamed the food before turning back to Blaine, his eyes igniting from surprise to passion. Before Blaine could say anything more Kurt had closed the distance between them, wedging Blaine against the counter behind him. Blaine's gasp was swallowed by Kurt's tongue gliding smoothly into his mouth within seconds, Blaine's hands spasming for a moment in shock before flying up to Kurt's hips.

"How did I find someone like you?" Kurt pondered aloud when they parted, placing his hands on the sides of Blaine's face before kissing him once again. "Someone kind, considerate, sexy." Each word was punctuated by a kiss to Blaine's neck, the kisses grazing higher and higher until Kurt's lips are hovering over the sensitive skin below his ear.

"Sh-should I put the food away first?" Blaine asked while Kurt's lips were occupied with his neck, his body trembling as Kurt's teeth nipped at his skin, making him weak in the knees.

"Kissing first, food later," Kurt mumbled, Blaine nodding in agreement before pulling him back up to connect their lips once more.

Their mouths battled for dominance until they were both dizzy with arousal, their bodies slowly sliding down the counters and onto the cool tiled floor of the kitchen. The food was thoroughly forgotten, neither of them paying it a second thought as layers flew away and their mouths explored one another with frenzied fervor. When they had both reached their ends, sweat tacky and sticky, pressed firm to one another on the unforgiving floor, they realized their mistake.

"The ice cream's probably melted by now," Blaine pointed out while still struggling to catch his breath.

"Right, yeah," Kurt replied, begrudgingly pulling himself apart from Blaine to get up and examine said ice cream.

Blaine took advantage of his view, admiring Kurt's naked form as he leaned against the counter, all pale skin and lean muscle.

"Well, it looks like all three of them have turned to soup," Kurt said with a wrinkled nose, lifting up a spoon of goop-like vanilla ice cream.

"It'd be a shame for all of that food to go to waste," Blaine mused with a mischievous smirk.

"Are you saying what I think you're saying?" Kurt asked, raising a brow.

"Why don't you come and show me what you think I'm saying," Blaine teased, nudging Kurt with his foot.

Kurt grinned, flying back down to the ground, ice cream and spoon in hand. They were environmentalists, really, doing the work of making sure all that ice cream was put to good use. The idea was better in theory than in practice - leaving their skin coated in two layers of stickiness, one bodily and one sugary. Kurt grimaced as his skin began to stick to the tile beneath him, the sound of his skin peeling off the ground audible to both of them.

Kurt waved Blaine off to go take a shower while he finally ate some of the pizza. The lack of food had finally begun to get to him, their latest round leaving him well past light headed. When Blaine returned from the shower to the sight of Kurt sitting on the kitchen counter in his boxer briefs, moaning around his slice of pizza, he couldn't resist. He kissed along Kurt's neck until he'd finished the slice he was working on, moving back up to his grease lined lips. It was a productive night overall, despite it's late start. Blaine learned that Kurt preferred mushrooms and olives on his pizza, his favorite flavor of ice cream was mint chocolate chip, and he was a cheerleader in high school which meant he was very, _very_ flexible.

They finally stumbled into bed close to three in the morning, both of them far too exhausted to do anything more than hold each other close. Blaine's heart soared at the prospect of sharing a proper bed with Kurt for the first time - not having to worry about parents barging in or making too much noise. Blaine pulled Kurt in close, burying his nose in Kurt's damp chestnut hair, taking in the intoxicating scent of his signature shampoo.

They slept in as late as they wanted on Saturday morning. They both blearily began to stir at around 8am, Kurt checking the time on his phone before groaning and heading straight back to sleep, Blaine following suit shortly after. Closer to 11 when Blaine finally stirred Kurt quickly slid into his lap, greeting him the same way he had that morning in Lima.

"This time you don't have to worry about keeping quiet," he whispered in Blaine's ear before being flipped onto his back by a very eager Blaine.

Thankfully they'd both remembered to pack condoms for the trip - and they'd both been rather overzealous on that front. As lovely as going without one had been last time, they were already making enough of a mess with their being unable to keep their hands off of one another. Keeping the mess to a minimum saved them the extra headache, and extra showers. By afternoon Kurt insisted that they break apart from one another to get dressed and explore the town.

It took some doing, but they managed to unravel themselves from the covers and each other and get ready for the day. After a quick breakfast of leftover pizza they headed out in search of coffee. They kept a comfortable distance between them at first, feeling out the crowd of the town before tentatively reaching out to link their fingers together. Their locked hands swung freely in the space between them as they walked into the town square, unbothered by the few people that crossed their path on the way there. The town was smaller than they'd anticipated - not desolate by any means but certainly startling in comparison to the bustling city they were used to.

When Blaine leaned over for a quick, chaste kiss over coffee Kurt didn't flinch or frantically check their surroundings - the only person within 10 feet of them was a barista who was already distracted by something on their phone. It far exceeded either of their expectations - within an hour of venturing into the town square they felt comfortable enough to exchange quick kisses and lingering touches without shame.

They window shopped for a bit, Kurt resisting spending a far too large sum of money on a pair of leather boots. They made their way to the apple orchard and picked enough apples to feed a small village, realizing they should've thought that through when they had to lug nearly ten pounds of apples all the way back to the apartment. They drop off their bounty of apples and head out in search of the farmer's market, Kurt on the hunt for ingredients for a very special recipe that he keeps from Blaine with a tight-lipped smile.

Kurt allowed Blaine to take the reins on putting together an entree for dinner that night, inadvertently revealing that his top-secret recipe was for a dessert. Blaine gathered some ingredients for a tuscan salmon and pasta dish - discreetly texting his mother for her recipe while Kurt was distracted at a table specializing in spices. They got themselves settled on opposite sides of the spacious kitchen, Kurt wanting to maintain his surprise for as long as possible. Blaine focused on his own dish, dicing and sauteing while resisting turning around to sneak a glimpse at whatever Kurt was putting together that had begun to fill the room with the most divine smell of nutmeg and cinnamon and something he couldn't quite put his finger on.

When thirty minutes later Kurt pulled a salted caramel apple pie out of the oven, clad in an apron and a dusting of flour streaked across his flushed cheek, Blaine couldn't help himself and lunged at him. The food was forgotten as they exchanged caramel flavored kisses, hands roaming and clothing flying off at breakneck speed. They decided to eat on the floor, wrapped up in a quilt pulled from the living room couch, still naked and basking in the warm glows of their orgasm as they exchanged bites of pasta and pie. They kissed languidly between mouthfuls, giggling like children as their curtain of golden sunlight began to fade.

Kurt halfheartedly suggested they pull their clothes back on and move things to the couch - all of their time spent on the floor wasn't doing any favors for his spine. Blaine begrudgingly agreed, taking the opportunity to stretch out his sore shoulders. They quickly changed into their PJs and finished off the last of their dinner on the couch, arguing playfully over what movie to watch.

"Barbra Streisand's _A Star is Born_ is iconic, Blaine! The fact that you haven't seen it is a shot against your reputation in the performing arts community," Kurt argued.

"But I just watched the Lady Gaga version last week - how can I appreciate Streisand's performance when Gaga's is still in fresh in my mind?" Blaine protested, Kurt pouting and grumbling in agreement.

They settled on a cheesy Netflix original movie that was so sugar sweet they couldn't possibly take it seriously. It was the perfect choice, with a plot so paper thin it never mattered that they were spending more time kissing lips and necks and behind ears than paying attention. They fell asleep wrapped up in one another, leaving the grunt work of washing the dishes and cleaning up the kitchen for the morning in favor of staying in each other's arms. Close to midnight they stumbled back into the bedroom, realizing they could just as easily cuddle up to one another in their bed instead of their admittedly uncomfortable positions on the couch.

The trip came out to less than 36 hours together but it was still absolute bliss. Both Kurt and Blaine were floating on cloud nine by the time they were packing up their things to head back home. Their touches lingered longer, their kisses deeper, as they savored the last few moments of normalcy they had left. Blaine had thought the weekend trip would settle his overwhelming desire for closeness with Kurt, but spending time together had only strengthened their bond. The thought of returning to the distance, to pretending there was nothing between them to the outside world, made his heart ache. Kurt remained silent as Blaine walked him to the train station - Kurt taking the earlier train back to New York and Blaine heading back an hour later. They slowed down as they reached the station, Kurt's grip on Blaine's hand tightening. Tears had pooled in the corner of his eyes as he turned to Blaine to say goodbye, kissing him more forcefully than he had all weekend.

"Well isn't this the scandal of the century," called out a voice behind them.

Kurt and Blaine flew apart as they realized someone had seen them, too wrapped up in the moment to have taken their usual precautions. Kurt gasped under his breath as he caught sight of Sebastian leaning up against the ticket booth, smirking. Blaine legs began to tremble as he stepped away from Kurt, threatening to give in any moment.

"So how long has this been going on, huh?" Sebastian asked, kicking himself up off the booth and walking towards them, a gym bag slung across his shoulder.

"It's not what you think," Blaine protested immediately, stepping up and coming in between Kurt and Sebastian.

"So you guys weren't just shoving your tongues down each other's throats?" Sebastian asked with a cocked eyebrow.

"Please don't tell anyone!" Kurt blurted out, Blaine standing his ground as Kurt attempted to move in closer to Sebastian.

Sebastian laughed, rolling his eyes at the worried expressions on Kurt and Blaine's faces. "You can breathe, your secret's safe with me," he assured.

Neither Kurt nor Blaine let their guard down, Blaine especially wary of Sebastian's intentions. "What're you even doing here?" Blaine asked.

Sebastian shrugged. "Little brother had a soccer playoff game at the local high school, I figured I'd come out and support him. Shouldn't I be asking what you two are doing here?"

"It's none of your business," Kurt spat, shoulders tensing.

"Such a harsh tone for the guy who just agreed to keeping your very dangerous secret? I'm offended," Sebastian teased, winking mischievously as a train pulled into the station. "I'll be seeing you two on Tuesday." And with that, he turned on his heels and boarded the train.

Blaine frantically turned to Kurt, knowing they only had a few moments before Kurt would need to get on the train as well. Kurt collapsed into Blaine's arms, his body trembling as he took in deep, labored breaths, Blaine struggling to keep himself composed for Kurt.

"Everything is going to be fine, Sebastian won't tell anyone. He's a good guy, I swear," Blaine assured, running his hand along Kurt's back.

"But we can't be sure. What if he tells one of your other intern friends and they tell Sue or Emma or Santana and everything is ruined!" Kurt protested, voice cracking as he held back tears.

"Then there's nothing we can do. Just take a deep breath, keep yourself calm, and don't overthink this. We'll be fine." Blaine took Kurt's face in his hands, wiping away the single tear that had rolled down his cheek. He gave Kurt a quick kiss on the forehead and a reassuring squeeze of his shoulders before pushing him towards the train.

Kurt gave Blaine one last weak, nervous smile before boarding the train, maintaining their eye contact for as long as he possibly could. Blaine remained frozen on the platform for several minutes after the train had pulled away. His mind raced, struggling to put together any coherent thoughts. Sebastian had proved himself a kinder and more understanding person than he appeared in the past - but could they count on him when it came to these kinds of stakes? Sebastian had all of the power in his hands, and there was nothing they could offer him in return for their silence. They couldn't offer money, Sebastian had plenty of that, and while Blaine could offer giving their relationship a second chance Sebastian didn't seem like the type to want to be in second place.

Blaine considered texting Sebastian, offering him whatever it was he wanted for his silence, but decided against it. Even if he did give something up for Sebastian's word there was no guarantee he'd hold up his end of the bargain. Blaine decided to leave the ball in Sebastian's court - if there was something he wanted, he could propose it to them.

What worried Blaine was the radio silence from Kurt following their run in with Sebastian. Blaine had texted Kurt when he'd arrived home safely back to his apartment, asking Kurt how his own journey home had been - but no response. He did his best to reason with himself - Kurt was stressed and worried, he couldn't be bothered to text Blaine back right now. Kurt was a worrier, he was probably pacing his apartment coming up with hundreds of possible scenarios for how things would play out from here.

The following morning Blaine texted Kurt to relax and have a good morning - still no response. Blaine checked his phone compulsively throughout the day, hoping for something, anything, from Kurt to let him know that he was alright. But there was nothing the entire day. Blaine jumped every time his phone buzzed, deflating each time he realized it wasn't a message from Kurt. When he returned home from classes for the day he considered just calling Kurt himself and trying to get to the bottom of this, but a knock at the door stopped him.

Blaine's brow furrowed as he glanced around the apartment. Mike still had class for another hour, and Tina and Brittany seldom showed up without texting either Blaine or Mike beforehand. Blaine cautiously approached the door, gasping when he saw a familiar face through the door peephole. He unlocked the door and pulled it open at lightning speed, breath catching in his throat as his eyes fell on Kurt, standing in the hallway of his building in tears.

"I got fired."


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Hello hi I'm not dead this story is alive and well! I won't get too into the nitty gritty of where I've disappeared to - but long story short I had a brief bout of pneumonia, got a major promotion at work, and signed a lease for an apartment in a neighborhood I've wanted to live in my whole life - so a truly mixed bag. But I'm back! One more chapter to go, woo!**

* * *

Blaine felt as though the wind had been completely knocked out of him. The sight of Kurt in tears, eyes red rimmed and swollen, body shivering in the unheated hallway, caused his heart to clench. This, coupled with the pure shock to the system that came with the news that Kurt had been fired was enough to make him grip the doorway for balance. He did his best to shake off the blaring thoughts running through his mind to reach out and wrap an arm around Kurt, pulling him into the apartment and closing the door behind them. Maybe there had been a misunderstanding – maybe Kurt had just misheard something – maybe everything could still be okay.

"Take a deep breath, tell me everything," Blaine commanded calmly, running his palm in soothing circles along Kurt's back, willing his fingers to stop trembling.

Kurt took in several deep breaths, dabbing his tear stained cheeks with the ends of his scarf before he finally found the courage to speak.

"Sue was in a bad mood. I mean, she's always in a bad mood, but this one was particularly bad." Kurt trailed off for a moment, eyes locked on his fingers as they toyed with a loose thread on his scarf. "I brought her her afternoon tea and she threw it across the room. It didn't hit me, thankfully, but some of the hot water splashed off of the wall and burnt my hand."

Blaine swallowed hard as he caught sight of the harsh red blister on Kurt's right hand – still as fresh as though it had just appeared.

"I ran out of the room before she could do anything else. I was in the kitchen trying to bandage my hand when she told me to get out. I thought she meant she wanted me back at my desk, but she was yelling and screaming about getting me out of her sight until I made it to the elevator. Before the doors closed she told me to never come back."

Kurt finished his story in a whisper, fingers curling into white knuckled fists as he struggled to bite back yet another wave of tears. He'd cried enough over this today, he didn't want to waste anymore of his breath. Blaine frowned – everyone could see that Sue was hard on Kurt, to say the least, but he had never expected such an intense level of cruelty from her. It was practically a lawsuit waiting to happen, and even Sue Sylvester seemed smarter than that. Before speaking Blaine pulled Kurt firmly into his arms, letting the taller boy rest his head on his shoulder, sniffling quietly into the soft material of Blaine's polo.

"She didn't even let me grab any of my stuff. I had to wait for two hours in the coffee shop across the street until Santana could bring me my bag and jacket," Kurt added with a choked whimper.

Blaine sighed, taking a moment to pull Kurt in tighter against his chest. "I'm sorry you had to deal with all of this. No one deserves to be treated that way."

The two allowed the silence to stretch between them, Blaine taking those few moments of silence to recollect his thoughts. Maybe it had been a coincidence that Sue had decided to fire Kurt the same weekend Sebastian had discovered the truth about their relationship. Sebastian hadn't even been in the office yet this week – when would he have had the chance to tell her? From what Blaine knew of Sue she was prone to frequent bursts of anger – granted, she'd never fired someone during one of her fits before, but who's to say this wasn't the first time? His mind managed to conjure up hundreds of reasons why this sudden disruption had nothing to do with him and Kurt's relationship, but despite them all he knew he'd have to find a way to talk to Sebastian.

"Is it okay if I stay here tonight? Rachel's staying at the apartment and I don't want… I don't want to tell her yet," Kurt admitted sheepishly, ducking his head to hide his shameful reddened cheeks.

Kurt's high profile job had been the one thing he had going for him, a fact Rachel knew well. Now he had nothing, and the thought of having to confess it to the girl who had everything was soul crushing. With _Funny Girl's_ first official preview in just two days the last thing Rachel needed on her plate was a depressed and unemployed roommate, along with the weight of wondering how Kurt would be able to pay his half of the rent if he couldn't find something else before his savings ran out.

"Hey," Blaine protested as Kurt ducked his head, taking the other boy's chin in between his index finger and thumb and lifting it until they'd locked eyes. "You're always welcome here," he assured, heart warming as the smallest of smiles blossomed on Kurt's lips.

With one last kiss to Kurt's forehead Blaine sent Kurt to relax on the couch. The sight of Kurt in his apartment was odd, his designer clothing and perfectly primed appearance standing out amongst the mismatched, worn down furniture and cluttered table tops. Kurt curled in on himself, pulling the couch throw blanket around himself, smiling at the faint smell of Blaine's cologne on the blanket. Blaine offered to make him some tea, which Kurt gladly accepted. By the time Blaine returned to the couch with the steaming mug Kurt had closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.

Kurt had spent most of Sunday evening tossing and turning throughout the night, unable to keep himself from obsessing over the idea of Sebastian revealing the truth about him and Blaine to everyone in the office on Tuesday. The physical exhaustion coupled with the emotional exhaustion of Sue's tirade had left him completely spent by the time he stumbled up to Blaine's apartment. Blaine set the mug down on the coffee table, wrapping the throw blanket more comfortably around Kurt's sleeping form. He quickly glanced at his phone – he still had another hour and a half before Mike would be back from his last class of the day.

Given his current state Blaine figured it was safe to assume Kurt wasn't up for meeting Mike just yet. Blaine shot a quick text to his roommate, claiming that he was feeling sick and would probably spend the rest of the night in his room. It wasn't his best lie, but it was the best he could do. Blaine peeked over at Kurt, confirming that the other boy was still fast asleep before sending a new text to Sebastian.

 _"We need to talk."_

Blaine stowed his phone away quickly, struggling to ignore the guilt lingering at the forefront of his mind. What he needed was some fresh air, something to distract him from his intense need to scream in frustration. He threw on his jacket and closed the door to the apartment as quietly as he could, rushing out of the building and into the cold evening air. He didn't go far – just around the corner to the bodega whose cheesecake Blaine had often told Kurt he needed to try. He used the ten minute journey to calm himself down – everything would be fine. If Sebastian was to blame for Kurt's sudden firing then maybe he could use that same sway to get Kurt his position back. But the thought of what Sebastian might want in exchange made his stomach churn.

Blaine had just stepped back into the apartment, cheesecake in hand, when his phone went off. He tossed his things haphazardly onto the kitchen counter as he pulled his phone out at lightning speed.

 _"Breaking up with me a second time? Harsh,"_ read Sebastian's reply.

Blaine rolled his eyes – leave it to Sebastian to respond with snark over a serious matter. He bit his lip as he mulled over how he would respond to Sebastian, jolting and shoving his phone back into his pocket when he noticed that Kurt had begun to stir.

"Where'd you go? How long have I been asleep?" a sleep ruffled Kurt asked as he blearily looked around the unfamiliar room.

Blaine rushed back to his side, wrapping an arm around Kurt and pulling him against his chest, feeling him begin to relax once he was safely in Blaine's arms.

"You've only been asleep for a few minutes," he assured. "I got you some cheesecake – you mentioned that it's your favorite stress food," Blaine added shyly, realizing guiltily that he shouldn't have left Kurt alone, especially now, even if it was only for a few minutes.

Kurt didn't seem bothered by Blaine's brief disappearance, eyes lighting up at the mention of cheesecake. Blaine grabbed the plastic container and fork from the coffee table and handed them off to Kurt with a smile. Kurt's gaze flickered from the dessert to Blaine for several moments before he gingerly set the dessert aside and turned to face Blaine properly. Blaine's brow furrowed, but before he could protest Kurt's lips were on his with such force that it nearly knocked him over. His hands instinctively flew to Kurt's waist, holding them both steady as he happily returned the kiss.

"Not that I'm complaining, but what was that for?" Blaine said with a quiet laugh when they pulled apart with a wet smack.

Kurt's palms drifted down to rest on Blaine's chest, his cheekbones dusted with a light blush. "Today has been one of the worst days of my life, and I'm not the type of person to let myself dwell too long on the negatives. Today has thrown me a lot of negatives, but if there's one positive in all of this it's that now I can let the world know how much you mean to me," Kurt confessed, voice threatening to crack as he felt another wave of emotion come over him, this time one of gratitude as opposed to sorrow.

Blaine's lips parted in surprise, his brain finally giving in and completely short circuiting. In all of his panic about Sebastian and his role in Kurt's firing he'd forgotten the one small bit of hope there was in this mess of a situation. Kurt retreated as Blaine remained unresponsive, curling back in on himself.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to move too fast, I know we said two months—"

Before Kurt could finish Blaine cut him off with a kiss of his own, Kurt's words melting into a whimper as he was knocked onto his back. Blaine happily slotted his body along Kurt's, hovering carefully over him and letting their legs get entangled in the blanket between them. His palm cupped Kurt's cheek as they pulled apart once more. "Please don't ever apologize for wanting something more with me. I'm still not fully convinced these past four months haven't been one tortuously detailed fever dream," he teased, his heart soaring at the sight of Kurt giggling.

"Besides, there's one more positive that can come out of this," Blaine mused as he helped lift Kurt back up into a sitting position.

"And what would that be?" Kurt asked with a raised brow.

Blaine took Kurt's hands in his, squeezing them lightly before he spoke. "This is an opportunity to find a workplace that appreciates all of the hard work that you do and doesn't take you for granted."

Kurt nodded, eyes falling to his lap as Blaine spoke. "That's if Sue doesn't have me blacklisted from every production company within a 200 mile radius," he said with a frown.

"Sue Sylvester isn't the end all of all be all. Besides, her temper isn't a secret. Someone out there will know better than to listen to what she has to say about you, and they'll be lucky to have you," Blaine assured.

Kurt gave him a weak smile, but a smile nonetheless. For all Kurt knew Sue had emailed the theatre industry en masse that her former assistant was to never be employed, as an actor, assistant, or otherwise, for the foreseeable future. While he was sure Santana would have let him know if that was the case, he knew now that he couldn't put anything past Sue Sylvester when it came to cruelty.

The two wordlessly agreed to drop the subject – choosing instead to focus on something more entertaining for the both of them: mindless television and cheesecake. Blaine gave Kurt full reign over the television as they settled back against one another, Blaine's arm resting casually around Kurt's shoulders. Kurt settled on a rerun of one of the Real Housewives shows – which one Blaine wasn't entirely sure, he'd never been able to keep up with them. They fell into an easy, distracted silence, laughing when appropriate and commenting occasionally. It succeeded in finally getting both of their minds over the situation at hand, even if only for a few minutes.

The brief peace was disturbed when Blaine felt his phone buzz in his pocket. He pulled it out and glanced at it quickly, swallowing hard at the second message from Sebastian.

 _"So are we going to talk or what?"_

Blaine bit his lip – this was hardly a conversation to have over text message, and even so he still wasn't entirely sure what he wanted to say to Sebastian. Before Blaine could think too deeply about his next move Kurt's phone began to ring just moments after his. Rolling his eyes in annoyance Kurt paused the TV and pulled his phone out of his pocket.

"Probably one of those stupid telem—" Kurt cut off as he caught sight of the caller ID, immediately getting to his feet.

Blaine tensed up as he watched Kurt suddenly head towards the door. "What's going on? Is everything okay?" he asked, getting off of the couch to follow after Kurt.

"Emma's calling me. I'm going to take this outside," Kurt called out before heading out of the apartment, not even bothering to grab his coat or scarf before heading straight for the stairs.

Blaine frowned – Kurt had finally started to pull himself out of his slump and Emma had managed to throw him right back into it. With a sigh he propped the door open slightly, leaving it open for Kurt once he was done with his call. Blaine reluctantly pulled out his own phone and scanned Sebastian's message once more. He didn't have much time, but the guilt and anxiety had crept up once again and threatened to eat away at him until he got the answers he needed. He stepped into his room, closing the door behind him and calling Sebastian before he could second guess his decision.

"A phone call, how very old fashioned of you," Sebastian answered as opposed to a standard greeting.

Blaine rolled his eyes once more, biting back a groan. "Look, I don't have that much time to talk. Just… Did you tell anyone about me and Kurt?" Blaine asked, wanting to cut right to the point.

"What?" Sebastian said with a laugh. "No, I haven't – and for the record, I doubt there's anyone I could tell that would actually care what you two get up to on the weekends. Why?"

Blaine hesitated, debating whether it was worth telling Sebastian the truth. It didn't sound as though Sebastian was lying, and he was bound to find out what had happened to Kurt when he wasn't at his desk Tuesday morning. "Sue fired Kurt today," Blaine said cautiously.

"Huh," Sebastian replied, humming before responding. "Well, that sucks for him, but I can assure you it had nothing to do with me. Not that I could've done anything if I wanted to anyway – might I add," Sebastian said defensively.

"Weren't you the one that said you could've had Kurt fired at the drop of a hat if you wanted to?" Blaine shot back, refusing to let Sebastian paint himself as entirely innocent.

"You thought I was serious?" Sebastian replied incredulously. "Jesus, Blaine, I'm not a Disney villain. It was a joke."

Blaine collapsed onto his desk chair. After all this time, the threat that Sebastian had made had just been a joke. The words that had hung over him every time he allowed himself to get closer to Kurt had meant nothing.

"It isn't funny, Sebastian," Blaine snapped, doing his best to keep himself as composed as he could, knowing he would have to face Kurt as soon as the call was over.

"Easy there tiger. Now we know we don't have compatible senses of humor." Sebastian paused, calling out to someone that he'd be back in a second. "This has been fun, but I've got to get back to rehearsal. Go squeeze a stress ball or something and I'll see you tomorrow."

Before Blaine could give Sebastian a piece of his mind the call had ended, Blaine groaning in frustration as he tossed his phone onto the bed with more force than was unnecessary. He knew he should've been relieved, Sebastian's assurance that he hadn't told anyone about what he'd seen yesterday flushed out the guilt that had been eating at Blaine since Kurt had showed up at his door. And yet he couldn't help but be frustrated – more so with himself than everything else. It had all been a joke and Blaine had completely believed Sebastian, never even considering that it all might've been a joke. Blaine knew well that Sebastian had an unusual sense of humor – he should've thought to question the passing threat rather than let it linger and fester in the back of his mind.

Blaine lifted himself off of his bed with a sigh and made his way back into the living room, not expecting to see a wide eyed Kurt standing a few feet from the door to his room.

"Hey, how'd your call with Emma—"

"Sebastian threatened to have me fired?" Kurt asked before Blaine could finish his own question.

Blaine swallowed hard, his cheeks ablaze as he stammered out his reply. "I-I, well, yes, b-but it was a—"

"And you never thought to tell me about this?" Kurt interrupted once again.

"I-It was a joke," Blaine answered, his complete lack of confidence evident from the shaky tone of his voice.

"You didn't know it was a joke until a minute ago." Kurt crossed his arms firmly across his chest.

Blaine had seen Kurt annoyed before, but he'd never seen him angry – or at least not like this. His fingers were gripping his arms so tightly they left harsh red marks in their wake, his shoulders trembling as he struggled to keep himself as composed as he could. Perhaps it had been wishful thinking on Blaine's part to think that he could keep what Sebastian had told him all those weeks ago a secret from Kurt – but at the very least he'd hoped he would've been able to tell Kurt on his own terms. Then again, he had no one to blame but himself for his getting caught in a lie.

"Kurt, I'm so sorry, I should've told you about this sooner," Blaine pleaded, attempting to take a step towards Kurt, only for the taller boy to take several steps back.

"Why did he threaten to fire me?"

Blaine sighed, eyes falling to the ground. "After he saw our duet at Callbacks he got suspicious that there was something going on between us. I told him there wasn't, and he said if you got in between us he could have you fired," Blaine said reluctantly, realizing just how awful everything sounded when he was forced to say it out loud for the first time.

Kurt's lips parted in an expression of what could've been shock, disgust, anger, or a combination of the three. His eyes had glazed over as he took his first step towards Blaine, pointing a finger accusingly at him. "And you knew this entire time! You knew that if Sebastian found out that he could have me fired, and you never thought to tell me."

Blaine winced at Kurt's tone. He hated to admit that he was wrong, but there was no way out of this – Kurt was right, and Blaine knew all along that keeping this from him was wrong, but he'd been so blinded by the newness of everything with Kurt and the gradual process of falling hard for this boy that he kept an enormous secret from him, a secret that could've put them both in jeopardy.

"I-I'm sorry… I don't know what else I can say, but I mean it, Kurt. I didn't want to worry you, and you were already so hesitant about everything with me that—"

"That you just let me fall for you," Kurt interrupted once again, tears now streaming down his cheeks. "You knew that I wouldn't have let this happen if I knew about Sebastian's threat so you kept it to yourself. You let me put my job, which is my _entire_ life at risk, Blaine."

Kurt wiped at his cheeks angrily, turning on his heels before Blaine could reply and grabbing his coat and bag.

"Kurt, wait, please don't leave," Blaine pleaded, finally pulling himself together in time to rush after Kurt, grabbing his arm gently only to have it wrenched out of his grip.

Kurt paused for a moment, turning to face Blaine but keeping his eyes fixed on the ground. "I got my job back. That's why Emma called. She said Sue always fires her assistants every few months, then brings them back the next day."

"That's… that's good," Blaine said weakly, too taken aback to come up with much else to say.

"I don't think we should be doing… this anymore," Kurt said quietly, gesturing to the space between them.

"W-what? Kurt, please, I know I messed up but please don't—"

"I need time to think. By myself," Kurt cut off, grabbing his bag off the floor and heading straight for the door.

Blaine called out in protest, but kept a safe distance from Kurt this time, wincing when the other boy exited the apartment and slammed the door behind him. Blaine's mind was racing faster than ever before – in mere minutes everything that he and Kurt had built together – their friendship, the trust they had for one another, had come crashing down. And he had no one but himself to blame. His shoulders trembled as he staggered back to the couch, wanting to scream and punch and kick in frustration but settling for burying himself in the blanket Kurt had been wrapped up in just minutes earlier. The door opened once again and Blaine shot up, halfheartedly hoping that it was Kurt but slumping back onto the couch when he saw that it was just Mike.

"Dude, was that the guy from Scandals? The one who's your _boss_?" Mike made sure to place extra emphasis on Kurt's job title.

Just like that, two secrets Blaine had worked so hard to keep as such were blown. In a matter of hours things had gone from hopeful and wonderful and promising to absolutely, completely fucked.


	10. Chapter 10

Explaining everything to Mike had been more difficult than Blaine had anticipated. They sat down at the kitchen table and Mike listened intently as Blaine went over all of the details of the progression of his and Kurt's relationship — from their unexpected kiss post-karaoke, to their weekend away in New Jersey. Mike was an attentive audience, eyes widening and gasping when appropriate.

"Wait, so you guys have been talking on the phone every night for the past two months?" Mike asked in confusion, rubbing his chin in thought.

"Pretty much, give or take a few days when we were both busy," Blaine replied with a shrug.

"Dude, how did you manage to keep that a secret from me? That's some James Bond level secrecy!" Mike threw his hands into the air for emphasis. "Even Tina had no idea! We were planning on setting you up on a blind date with some guy from her Bio class."

Blaine shrugged yet again. At least Mike hadn't felt betrayed by Blaine keeping his relationship a secret. He spent more time asking questions about how exactly Blaine managed to live this double life of sorts than he did asking about Kurt. Blaine purposefully left off the detail that things between him and Kurt had come to an abrupt halt over an issue that was entirely his own fault, but Mike caught on regardless.

"So… he didn't seem too happy when I saw him," Mike said hesitantly, testing the waters to see if the wound was still too fresh for Blaine to discuss.

"I messed up. Big time. I… I don't know if things are over between us for real or if he just needs some time by himself…" Blaine trailed off, unsure how to continue.

He knew better than to text Kurt or try to reach out to him — Kurt was right, he needed space to think about everything. While Blaine naturally hoped that the time apart would still lead Kurt back to him he knew in his gut that Kurt had meant what he said. This, whatever this was, was over. There was nothing between them anymore.

Mike gave Blaine a sympathetic smile, shifting awkwardly as he glanced around the room looking for a way to cheer up his roommate. His eyes lit up as he began to grin, bouncing up and out of his seat. He picked up a controller off of the couch and tossed it over to Blaine.

"C'mon, time to drown your sorrows with hours of video games and pizza for dinner," Mike announced, tugging Blaine's arm in an attempt to get him over to the couch.

"I don't know, Mike. I have a paper due next week and—"

"Nope, no excuses," Mike interrupted. "When Tina broke up with me for two weeks last year to 'find herself' I was a mess. You picked me back up and kept me sane. I may have only known about you and Kurt for ten minutes, but you're hurting — which means it's my turn to pick you back up."

Blaine remained silent. The day had been filled with highs and lows and was by far one of the most emotionally exhausting days of his life — but at least he had people like Mike to help keep him from spiraling.

"Think you can let me win a round of Mario Party?" Blaine asked with a raised brow, snatching up the controller and jumping onto the couch.

"Don't get too greedy," Mike teased as he took his rightful place beside Blaine.

* * *

The following morning Blaine was enormously grateful for Mike's thorough job of keeping him preoccupied the previous evening. Naturally, Kurt still lingered in the back of his mind throughout the night but Mike was diligent in his efforts to keep Blaine's mind distracted. Blaine nearly gave in to the temptation to text Kurt a lengthy apology, but Mike managed to corner him on his way to the bathroom and confiscated his phone. His phone was waiting for him on the kitchen counter the next morning beside a note that read "Don't do anything I wouldn't do."

Blaine sighed as he tucked his phone away and began to prepare for the day with a growing sense of dread. He assumed Kurt would be back in the office that morning, now that Emma had confirmed that he still had his job. He considered calling out sick, unsure if his lack of presence would be a relief or an offense to Kurt. He debated the pros and cons until he was running ten minutes late, finally making up his mind with a groan as he grabbed his coat and made a mad dash for the subway.

Blaine's heart pounded louder and louder with each passing stop, feeling as though he was going to pass out any second as he stepped out of the subway and back into the world. He considered turning back around and falling back on his sick day excuse, but took in a deep breath and stepped into the office building. He'd only taken three steps out of the elevator when he suddenly collided with someone carrying an enormous stack of papers. The stack fell apart as sheets of paper flew throughout the office, revealing a startled Kurt carrying what remained of the stack.

"Oh God, Kurt I'm so sorry!" Blaine blurted out immediately, going straight to his knees and scrambling to pick up all of the papers off of the ground.

"It's alright," Kurt said as he set down the papers in his hand on a nearby desk and knelt down to help Blaine in picking up the remaining papers.

They collected the papers off the ground in silence, Blaine doing his best to keep his eyes trained on the floor. His face felt as though it was on fire and he mentally cursed himself for not deciding to just stay home. He was barely two minutes into the day and he'd already managed to land himself and Kurt in an awkward situation. Blaine cautiously peeked up at Kurt as he handed over the last paper, startled to find Kurt's eyes already focused on him.

"Kurt, I'm sorry. Really, really sorry," Blaine added in a whisper quiet enough that only Kurt could hear.

Blaine watched as Kurt bit down on his lip, resisting the urge to reach out and pull him close as the other boy finally broke their eye contact, his eyes falling to the ground.

"I know. I'm sorry too," he said quietly before quickly getting to his feet, recollecting his papers, and heading to his desk.

Blaine was dazed by Kurt's apology — what did he have to apologize for? — when he was suddenly knocked back into reality by Mercedes appearing at his side.

"Is there a reason you're kneeling in the middle of the office?" she asked before leaning down to help him get back up.

Blaine was thankful for Mercedes' arrival, not just for keeping him from making a bigger fool of himself, but for keeping him thoroughly distracted from his encounter with Kurt. Mercedes whisked him away to the intern seating area, all abuzz as she recollected the various details of her weekend. She'd flown down to Atlanta for a high school friend's bachelorette party, and had plenty of scandalous stories to share with Blaine and the rest of their group. Marley was already seated at her desk when they arrived, happily joining in on the conversation, but shooting suspicious glances at Blaine out of the corner of her eye. Mercedes put her story about the sudden reappearance of the bride's high school sweetheart on hold to grab some coffee from the kitchen, Marley taking the opportunity to slide her chair up to Blaine.

"Are you alright? You seem distracted?" she asked, snapping Blaine out of yet another daze.

"Yeah, m'fine. I didn't get much sleep this weekend," he replied casually.

Marley remained unconvinced, opening her mouth to question Blaine further, only for a bellow to ring throughout the office.

"Who does Figgins think he is!" shouted Sue as she stormed out of her office, slamming the door so hard it left a dent in the wall in the process.

Figgins, Sue's notorious enemy and rival Broadway producer, was often the source of Sue's daily frustrations. It wasn't a secret what Figgins latest offense was. On the train ride in to the office Blaine had skimmed an article on Playbill detailing the statement Figgins had given during Funny Girl's invited dress rehearsal.

"Sue Sylvester will get a ticket to this show the day I drop dead," Figgins had been caught on camera saying with a laugh to a fellow producer when asked if Sue would be at the first preview the following evening.

The Broadway Twitter-verse was abuzz over the latest development in the ongoing feud. Blaine couldn't help feeling a twinge of guilt for Kurt as he imagined Sue's response, knowing she'd make his life hell until things blew over.

"Porcelain, I need you to give me your ticket," Sue commanded sternly, turning on her heels and looming over Kurt's desk.

Kurt cowered as Sue towered over him, completely covered by her shadow. He remained silent for several seconds, glancing between Sue and the white envelope on his desk with his name neatly printed and adorned with a single gold star sticker.

"I-It's in my name, I don't think I can—"

"Have you ever been to the theatre before? They don't care what name is on the ticket. All they care about is pumping you full of their overpriced concessions," Sue said with a wave of her hand before extending her palm out to Kurt.

"B-But… It's my best friend's—"

"I won't repeat myself, Porcelain. Give me the ticket or I'll send you packing for a second time this week. And this time I'll make sure you don't get to come back," Sue sneered, curling her fingers into a fist before slamming it down on Kurt's desk.

The force of Sue's fist on the desk sent Kurt's coffee cup toppling to the ground, shattering and soaking the ground, and Kurt's legs, in the still steaming hot liquid. Kurt hissed, jumping out of his chair and gripping the scalded patch of his calf. Sue's expression remained unchanged, her face stone cold as she kept her eyes trained on her trembling assistant. She was challenging him — daring him to disobey her so she could finally put an end to him. Kurt swallowed hard, all eyes in the room on him as he slowly reached for the envelope. His palms shook nervously as he slowly handed it to Sue. She snatched the envelope away from him, tired of waiting for him to extend his arm fully. She opened the envelope and pulled out the ticket with a snide smile, throwing the envelope aside carelessly.

"And here I thought you couldn't be trusted. Well done, Porcelain. You made the right decision."

With that, Sue stormed back into her office, slamming the door behind her once again and leaving the room in complete silence.

"Is she allowed to do that?" Marley whispered to Blaine.

"She's Sue Sylvester, she can do whatever she wants," Kitty replied, rolling her eyes at Marley's naïveté.

"I wasn't talking to you," Marley snapped back, crossing her arms in discomfort at the thought of Kitty eavesdropping on her conversation.

Marley's question and the resulting exchange flew over Blaine's head as he kept his eyes trained on Kurt. He watched as the other boy collapsed back into his seat, looking more broken than he had ever seen him. Sue made it a habit of degrading him in front of the entire office, but this was the moment that had completely broken him down. Tears flowed freely down Kurt's cheeks, his shoulders trembling as he bit back a sob. Santana ran to his side, having been frozen with fear during the confrontation, but was pushed away. Kurt brushed past Santana and headed straight for the men's room. Santana sighed, contemplating going after him but deciding to clean up the mess of the broken coffee mug instead.

"I'll be right back," Blaine mumbled to Marley before he headed off in the direction of the bathroom.

Marley and Mercedes exchanged suspicious looks, wondering if they should stop Blaine from going after their clearly upset supervisor.

"What does he think he's doing?" Mercedes asked Marley and Artie, shooting a dirty look at Kitty, who was clearly still trying to catch bits of their conversation.

"Maybe the man just needs to pee," Artie replied casually before returning to his breakfast sandwich, clearly undisturbed by the morning's dramatic events.

Thankfully no one decided to intercept Blaine on his path to the bathroom. He locked the door behind him for good measure, not caring whether things appeared suspicious or not. Kurt was leaning up against one of the sinks, face in his hands as he took in several labored breaths.

"Kurt, I'm so sorry," Blaine said quietly, not wanting to startle Kurt.

Kurt lowered his hands, shaking his head when he finally saw Blaine standing in the doorway. He wiped at his cheeks, sniffling and biting back fresh tears.

"She's never going to talk to me again," Kurt said with a choked laugh.

"Sue?" Blaine asked, confused.

"Rachel," he replied. "It's her first night on Broadway and I'm not going to be there for her. She won't care that it was because of work. This is the day she's been dreaming about since she was three and I'm letting her down."

Blaine remained silent — what could he possibly say? That he was sorry? That Kurt deserved better? He couldn't even act on his instincts to hold Kurt close and remind him that he was so, so loved. Instead, Blaine inhaled deeply and chose his words carefully before he spoke again.

"She'll understand, there will be other performances, and you didn't have a choice."

"But I did have a choice," Kurt protested, face reddening. "I could've said no. I could've walked away from this hopeless, soul crushing place that has managed to ruin all of the things I love," he shouted, his voice echoing off of the tiled walls.

There was nothing Blaine could say. Even for Blaine this place, this internship that he had once thought was a dream come true, had taken away the only thing he'd come to care about over the past several months. If it hadn't of been for this place that Kurt so deeply despised maybe they wouldn't be standing on opposite sides of a room, too afraid to come close to one another for fear that it might mean something more. If it hadn't of been for this place maybe they could have been free to hold and kiss and love one another freely, as they had in Ohio and New Jersey, without fear.

"I have work to do," Kurt muttered, pushing himself up off the sink and pushing past Blaine to exit the bathroom, slamming the door behind him.

Blaine sighed, punching the sink top in frustration, only to let out a yelp of pain as his fist made contact with the marble countertop. As if on cue, Artie rolled into the bathroom just seconds later.

"We don't get paid enough to put up with all this drama. Wanna do pizza for lunch?" he asked, paying no mind to the tears forming in Blaine's eyes or the fresh cuts on his knuckles. It was a scene straight out of a terrible romantic comedy.

* * *

Any suspicion about Blaine's trip to the bathroom had simmered down by the time lunch rolled around. Marley held on to her concerns, keeping a close eye on Blaine as he went about his day. He did his best to recollect himself before he joined his fellow interns, throwing himself into the pile of work they already had waiting for them that morning. It was a busier morning than usual, for which both Kurt and Blaine were thankful. Kurt ignored Santana's attempts at comfort, insisting that they just focus on their work and that he was fine. Marley attempted to corner Blaine on his way back from the bathroom to ask him what was wrong, but missed her chance when Blaine was swept up by Emma to go on a supply run.

In many ways the day went by like any other. Blaine went on runs, prepared spreadsheets, made copies, and in between tasks he joined Mercedes in teasing Marley about her latest exploits with Jake. Kurt remained silent most of the day, which wasn't too uncommon for him. Santana kept her distance, knowing better than to pry at an irritated Kurt Hummel. Even Sue was in a slightly less unpleasant mood, smirking smugly as she dictated her planned response to Figgins to Kurt, loud enough for the rest of the office to hear. By the time 6 o'clock rolled around everyone had forgotten the incident from that morning, and on the subway ride home Blaine began to convince himself that maybe he can learn to forget too.

* * *

Rachel Berry had been preparing for her opening night on Broadway for twenty three years, seven months, and fourteen days. She'd anticipated that some things may go wrong - life was unpredictable after all. The lavender and rosemary candle she'd ordered for her dressing room had gotten lost in the mail, so she'd had to settle for the lavender and lemon candle she already had on hand. Her air purifier had short-circuited in the midst of her vocal warm ups moments before their final rehearsal (the production stage manager had received a strongly worded email requesting a replacement minutes later). Thankfully, there were still constants. Rachel knew she'd be able to start the day with her favorite chamomile tea in bed, and end it with her favorite vegan chocolate chip peanut butter cookies, a Berry family tradition for all opening nights. She knew she'd sing flawlessly, and that as she took her bows on Broadway for the first time in her life she could look into the audience and see the people who loved her most.

The cookies and tea remained the same, but as Rachel looked out into the front row as she took her bows to deafening applause and saw none other than Sue Sylvester seated beside her fathers in the seat that was meant for her best friend, her stomach plummeted. Her smile faltered as she scanned the rest of the row, eyes glossing over her fathers throwing her kisses, looking for any sign of Kurt. He wasn't in the first row, or the second or third, with the rest of the rows being washed away by the blinding spotlight. Rachel took a breath and grounded herself, beaming one last time as she rejoined her cast and squashed down the disappointment she felt in Kurt, for abandoning her on the biggest night of her life, and in herself, for believing him when he said he would be there.

* * *

To Blaine's surprise, his life remained mostly unchanged in the weeks following the disintegration of his relationship with Kurt. Mike was there once again to pick up the pieces from the moment Blaine returned home from his first day back at the office. He doesn't ask Blaine for details, he can see all he needs to know in the way Blaine throws his jacket carelessly onto a kitchen chair and sinks onto the couch without any form of greeting. To his credit, Mike did a wonderful job of picking up all of the pieces of Blaine — they played video games and ate pizza for the second night in a row. He cracked jokes and told nostalgic stories until he finally got Blaine to smile again. He even ran out for a pint of ice cream at the 24-hour bodega around 1am when Blaine made a passing wistful comment about his weekend with Kurt in New Jersey that involved exposed skin and half-melted mint chocolate chip ice cream. Mike knew he could never erase the memories of Blaine's time with Kurt, but the least he could do was help Blaine navigate the path to letting those memories fall to the wayside.

Despite his best efforts, there are still pieces of Blaine that Mike couldn't reach. If Blaine's life with Kurt in it was color, then life without him was gray. There was still sunshine and rainy days and brilliant bolts of lightning — there were still jokes, and art, and music, but there were no punchlines or melodies. Life went on as it always had — but it lacked the vibrance it once had. Things were uninteresting, unfunny, unworthy of his time. The only thing worth holding onto was the hope that maybe someday the color would begin to bleed back into his life.

The worst part of it all wasn't that the things around him had suddenly lost their shine as he lost his passion — but that Kurt, still bound to Blaine's orbit for the remaining weeks of the semester, eventually lost his shine too. Kurt, who had once lit up every room with his presence, shrunk in the weeks after his altercation with Sue. He hunched his shoulders and kept to his work, speaking only when necessary — even ignoring Santana's attempts at mending the friendship she hadn't realized was severed. Blaine could handle the grayness of his world — he was an optimist at heart, he would always have hope that things would eventually get better, but seeing Kurt absorbed by that same grayness kept his optimism at bay.

As the weeks went by and the end of the semester loomed closer and closer Blaine began to look forward to returning home to Ohio for once. The break would do him good — he needed time away from the city to rebuild himself and return for his final semester with with the same enthusiasm he'd had when he'd arrived in the summer. Yet, the thought of leaving Kurt behind, still absorbed by his own demons, tugged at Blaine's heart. Even if things weren't meant to work out for them, Blaine couldn't stand the thought of Kurt continuing to make himself small. But it was no longer Blaine's place to stay something — he just had to hope that someone else would come along and help Kurt find his way.

It took two full weeks just for Blaine to find the courage to speak to Kurt again, and it hadn't been completely at his will. He'd headed into the copy room to scan some documents for Santana, realizing Kurt was standing at the printer just a moment too late. Blaine stiffened, attempting to back track and quietly slide out of the room before Kurt could notice his presence, but he wasn't so lucky.

"You don't have to avoid me, you know," Kurt said so quietly Blaine briefly wondered if he'd just imagined it.

Blaine remained frozen in the doorway, clutching the stack of papers in his hands as Kurt gave him a drab look before stepping away from the printer, gesturing for Blaine to continue with whatever he needed to do. Instead of leaving the room, as Blaine had anticipated, Kurt remained on the other side of the room, folding freshly printed seatings cards for Sue's annual holiday party. Blaine mentally cursed Santana for giving him such a thick stack of files to scan as the silence between the two stretched on.

"How have you been?" Blaine asked when he was no longer able to handle the silence.

Kurt shrugged, not looking up from his place cards. "Fine," he answered quietly, but not unkindly.

"How're things with Rachel?" Blaine asked without thinking, quickly wincing as he realized it would be inappropriate to delve further than simple small talk.

Kurt remained silent for several seconds — long enough that Blaine assumed he was choosing not to answer the question, continuing to berate himself for asking such an invasive question when things were still so delicate between them.

"I had to pull a ridiculous amount of strings to get a ticket to the show for the next day that didn't cost me a month's rent. She still didn't talk to me for the rest of the week… I had apologized hundreds of times and bought her a years worth of her favorite imported teas when she finally spoke to me again. It's not the same, but… we're getting there," Kurt said, letting out a drawn out sigh as he finished, closing his eyes and finally putting down his place cards.

"I'm sorry, that was too much. I just… I haven't had many people to talk to since… everything," Kurt quickly apologized in a breathy whisper.

"No, you don't have to be sorry," Blaine said quickly, abandoning his files to turn to face Kurt, resisting the urge to close the distance between them. "We can still be friends… I-I mean, if that's something you want."

Kurt remained silent once more, opening his eyes once again but still keeping his back to Blaine. "I don't think that's a good idea right now," he said quietly, keeping his eyes trained on the place cards.

"Right… yeah… I, uh, right," Blaine stammered, waiting a beat before grabbing his stack of files and awkwardly backing out of the room.

The less than 5 minute long interaction plagued Blaine throughout the day and well into the night. He recounted the story in excruciating detail to Mike three times before all but forcing him to FaceTime Tina so that she could provide a new perspective when Mike wasn't giving Blaine the answers he needed. Did Kurt hate him? Or was he open to the possibility of a friendship later down the road? Or was he just letting Blaine down gently? Should he have stayed in the room and tried to console Kurt further? Should he avoid him completely for the remaining week of the semester? Or try to set things on a more promising path before they went their separate ways, possibly for good?

"Dude, I know you're hurting but can we please just pick a game plan and go to bed," Mike pleaded after Blaine retold the story to Tina for a fifth time. Tina nodded her head timidly in agreement. They were doing their best to be mindful of Blaine's feelings, but they were going on nearly two hours worth of analyzing the same five sentence conversation.

Mike and Tina agreed that it would best if Blaine left Kurt be for the time being. He only had two days of his internship left. If Kurt wanted to mend whatever was left between them, then he would have to make the first move. Blaine solemnly agreed before heading off to bed. Naturally he'd hoped that there was still some hope left for him and Kurt to come together once again, but it seemed clear that things weren't likely headed in that direction — and he had no one to blame for that but himself.

* * *

In the remaining days of his final week at Sue Sylvester Productions Blaine made his peace with the idea of returning from the break to a world without Kurt. Blaine had kept his usual distance from Kurt at the office, and had even resisted the urge to steal quick glances at Kurt's desk out of the corner of his eye. When they passed in the hallway they exchanged polite smiles, but nothing else.

Blaine's final day was uneventful, up until the final 30 minutes of the day. It had been a slow week, the interns had spent more time gossiping than they had doing actual work. Kitty had devoted herself to spreading a rumor that Jake was planning on putting an end to his relationship with Marley on their last day — for what Blaine assumed was no reason other than to create chaos. Marley, resilient as she was, had wilted and grown withdrawn throughout the week as Kitty's whispers about her relationship got louder and louder throughout the day. Finally, Mercedes cornered Kitty in the bathroom and gave her a piece of her mind — making sure she was just loud enough for her voice to carry to the cluster of intern desks. By the time they returned from the bathroom everyone, even Kitty's Columbia comrades, was hiding not so subtle snickers at Kitty's expense.

With the rumors about Marley and Jake finally put to rest, Blaine kept his eyes focused on the clock as it ticked down the remaining half hour of the most unforgettable internship he'd ever had.

"Can you at least try to not look like you're dying to bolt out of here and never see us again?" Marley teased, knocking her shoulder against Blaine's.

"Hey, who said you're never seeing us again!" Mercedes chimed in, slapping Blaine's arm playfully.

"Sorry, just daydreaming," Blaine quickly recovered, smiling brightly at Mercedes and Marley and looping his arms through theirs. "You guys know you're never ever getting rid of me," he teased with a wink.

"Seriously, you're quoting Waitress? I thought you were better than that, Blaine," Mercedes said with a groan before unlooping her arm from Blaine's.

Marley giggled as Blaine rolled his eyes, the three jumping in surprise when Artie suddenly appeared beside them and slammed his hand down on their shared desk, shoving his laptop in front of them.

"One - Blaine, quoting Waitress is seriously corny. Two - have you guys seen this?"

Blaine opened his mouth to defend himself, only for Mercedes to reach across him and pull Artie's laptop towards her, quickly scanning the email he'd pulled up.

"Oh my lord," she said under her breath, looking up at the clock with concern. "Any chance we can head out of here now?"

"Why would we want to leave early?" Marley asked in concern.

"Shit is about to go down. Like… major shit."

Before Blaine or Marley can ask Mercedes to elaborate further, the sound of a crash from Sue's office sends the office into an eerie silence. The crash is followed by a piercing scream, so piercing Blaine has to cup his ears with a wince. They'd witnessed plenty of Sue's meltdowns over the past several weeks, but this was building up to be a meltdown like no other. The screaming continued, but was soon accompanied by the sound of more crashes, and what sounded like Sue's desk being turned over onto its side. Kurt and Santana were frozen in fear, Kurt's skin paling as he refused to let out the breath he'd been holding since the moment the email had appeared in his inbox just moments earlier.

Mercedes cautiously leaned over to Blaine and Marley, whispering just loud enough for them to hear over the sound of Sue's tantrum, but not arouse any attention.

"Will's leaving to start his own company," she explained.

"Will… as in Sue's business partner, Will Schuester?" Marley asked incredulously.

Mercedes nodded. "He just announced it in a company email blast. The man must have a death wish."

"Holy shit," Sebastian murmured from the other side of the intern desk area, having just scanned Will's email. "Talk about going out with a bang," he said with an amused smirk.

The others weren't nearly as amused by the news as Sebastian as they quickly turned to their computers to read the email themselves.

 _Dear colleagues,_

 _It is with a heavy heart that I must announce that 2019 will be my final year with Sue Sylvester Productions. Sue and I have worked together on truly unforgettable projects over the course of our seven years together — but, though it's cliche to say, all good things must come to an end. Sue and I have been so lucky to see such great success in our work together in these most recent years — but success does come with its own price. There have been recent shifts in the way our company is being operated that I can no longer support, and as such I feel it is best if I step away from the company as a whole. My passion for theatre runs deep, and I could never say goodbye to the madness of this world. In the new year I will be starting my own production company, Schuester Productions — many details are still being worked out but I am incredibly excited for this new venture. The Schubert Organization has been kind enough to come to an agreement that our upcoming revival of The Music Man will now be helmed by Schuester Productions in 2020._

 _Thank you all for your tireless efforts, I hope that we'll all be able to work together again in some capacity in the future._

 _All the best,_

 _Will Schuester_

"Did Sue not know he was planning on leaving?" Marley asked, eyes still glued to her computer screen.

"Would you have told Sue if you were planning on leaving her company on terms other than her own?" Artie replied sarcastically, gesturing towards Sue's office, where her meltdown was still in full effect.

As if on cue, the door to Sue's office swung open with a deafening crash. Sue was enraged beyond belief, her fists clenched into fists so tight they looked as though they could punch through steel like a hot knife through butter. She turned to the posters lining the wall outside of her office. She grabbed the framed mock up of the poster for The Music Man revival, the production she'd deemed her crown jewel of 2020, her sure fire bet for her 4th consecutive Tony for Best Musical, and threw it to the ground. The glass instantly shattered, shards flying all the way over to Kurt's desk several feet away.

"Here's the thing about show business," Sue announced to the office, her voice surprisingly composed. "You can be the best, or the smartest, or the toughest, but none of that ever really matters. You can spend seven years of your life trying to be fair and give the Backstreet Boy knock off who just wants to be a big Broadway producer a chance, but that doesn't matter either. It doesn't matter that you wasted your precious time and too much patience on a sack of losers who never should've had a chance in this industry. No, all that matters is who's 'nice' and 'plays by the rules' — those are the ones who get rewarded. Sure, you have 3 Tony's under your belt, but what does that matter? Let's give the money ball to the dopey eyed idiot who still can't tell the difference between an agent and a manager." Sue paused her rant to turn to face her attentive audience of terrified interns and employees.

"And what does that leave me with?" she continued, turning her attention first to Emma, who had turned so pale she looked as though a wisp of wind could knock her over.

"His precious office crush who's so absorbed in her own self that she was blinder than Stevie Wonder to his sickening displays of affection." Sue turned to Santana. "His 'tough as nails' assistant, who would snap faster than a vanilla wafer if I so much as look in her direction." Santana, who had maintained her composure up until that moment, finally crumbled. Tears fell down her cheeks as she hugged her arms self-consciously to her chest, her eyes falling to the floor. And finally, Sue turned to Kurt. "And my pathetic excuse for an assistant, whose been so preoccupied with screwing the intern that he can barely perform the most menial of tasks."

Kurt's jaw dropped, though his body remained frozen under Sue's piercing, furious gaze. Marley immediately turned to Blaine, reaching out and squeezing his arm as she gave him a questioning look. The pounding of Blaine's heart drowned out the room, his vision tunneling though he couldn't take his eyes off of Kurt. Emma and Santana had broken out of their own trances to focus their eyes on Kurt.

"Oh please, don't insult me with your shock. I may be deaf in one ear but I'm not blind. Maybe now that your boy toy is leaving you'll finally learn a thing or two. My suggestion is starting with how to staple a stack of papers correctly," Sue spat, picking up a script from the edge of Kurt desk and throwing it onto his lap.

Kurt clenched his jaw, maintaining his composure as he picked up the script and tossed it in the garbage can beside him. No one dared to gasp but the shock at the act of defiance was electric. It was subtle, but by far the closest anyone had come to standing up to Sue in a very, very long time. Sue kept her eyes trained on her unafraid assistant, her lips curling sinisterly as she practically dared him to defy her. After what felt like hours, Kurt slowly rose up from his chair, Sue's smug smirk finally beginning to fall. He tossed his coat over his arm and quickly grabbed his bag. He finally broke the connection with Sue as he turned on his heels and headed for the exit, all the eyes in the room following him.

"Come back here, I'm not done with you," Sue commanded, her voice echoing in the silence of the room.

Kurt turned back to Sue, his stance strong and his eyes sure as he spoke. "No. And I'm not coming back. Ever."

Sue chuckled at her assistant's foolishness, taking a menacing step towards him. "I knew you were dim, Porcelain, but not enough dim enough to make such a stupid mistake. But, tis the season of giving, so I'm willing to forgive…"

Kurt held his ground, speaking up before Sue could continue. "The only mistake I've made is staying here for this long."

Kurt turned back to the exit and stormed out of the office, leaving Sue and the rest of his now former colleagues in complete stunned silence. No one dared move a muscle as Sue attempted to process what had just happened. Sue had had many assistants during her years as a producer, but none had ever quit on her, none of them had ever been so foolhardy. The rage within her quickly boiled over once again as Kurt disappeared from her sight.

"What're you idiots looking at? Get out!" she shouted at the top of her lungs, grabbing the closest thing in reach and flinging it across the room.

Emma narrowly avoided the stapler that flew through the air. Sue, now in the midst of yet another meltdown/tantrum, reached for anything she could find as she yelled out in frustration, either ripping the item in half or tossing it if she couldn't tear it. Everyone scrambled for their things at breakneck speed, not bothering to put on their outerwear as they raced out of the office before Sue could inflict her rage on anyone else. Blaine helped Marley grab her hat, scarf, and gloves before taking her hand in a bone crushing grip as they raced out of the office, Mercedes and Artie not far behind them. They remained silent even in the safety of the elevator, their hearts still pounding and minds still racing as they travelled down to the building lobby.

Santana and Emma went off their own ways without a word to the rest of the group, too lost in their own thoughts. Blaine's grip on Marley's hand began to relax as he finally had a moment to calm his racing mind.

"Alright, you owe us an explanation," Mercedes said to Blaine once the tension of the moment had passed.

Blaine swallowed hard, his eyes falling to the ground. The last thing he wanted in that moment was to explain his complicated past with Kurt. His thoughts were still with Kurt — all he wanted was to call him, text him, find some way to reach out to him and make sure that he was alright.

"What's to explain? He was fucking our supervisor. It explains itself," Sebastian said with a roll of his eyes as he shrugged on his peacoat.

"I don't remember asking you to explain," Mercedes spat back.

"Blaine doesn't have to explain anything if he doesn't want to," Marley spoke up, giving Blaine's hand a supportive squeeze.

Blaine shot her an appreciative smile before releasing their locked fingers.

"I think what we all need to do is go home and have a drink," Artie suggested. "Explanations later. I don't think my brain can handle anymore drama tonight."

Mercedes crossed her arms, looking for a moment as though she was going to refuse to budge. "Fine, but I want an explanation tomorrow. No excuses," Mercedes ordered, Blaine nodding meekly in acknowledgement.

The journey back to Blaine's apartment went by in a daze. Marley had offered to ride the train back uptown with him, but he insisted that she head home. Her dorm was on the other side of the city, and it'd be dark by the time she'd get home. Once home, Blaine quickly scanned the apartment for any sign of Mike, sighing in relief once he confirmed the apartment was empty. He needed some time alone to begin unpacking everything that had happened. Blaine's fingers toyed with his phone for hours. His fingers hovered over the keypad, composing message after message to Kurt but erasing them all before he could find the courage to hit Send. He gazed at Kurt's contact photo until his eyes began to burn. He wondered if Kurt would answer if he called. Or was he the last person Kurt wanted to hear from? He wondered if Rachel would be home that night for Kurt to talk to about everything. Were he and Rachel on good terms yet — would Rachel even give him the chance to explain that he'd finally cut all ties with Sue? Was it Blaine's place to wonder about any of these things?

Mike stumbled into the apartment just after midnight, his buzz from an evening of post-finals drinking beginning to fade into exhaustion. His brow furrowed at the sight of his roommate passed out on the couch. The couch was usually Mike's crash spot — Blaine was unusually anal about always sleeping in his own bed. Mike leaned over Blaine's sleeping form to ensure that he was actually breathing. He let out a deep sigh as he caught sight of Blaine's still unlocked phone resting in his slack grip — a blank text message to Kurt lighting up the screen. Mike carefully plucked the phone out of Blaine's grip, safely storing it in the kitchen drawer — the newly renamed "no drunk/sober but sad/any state in which you might regret texting" drawer — before heading to his own bedroom.

* * *

Telling Mike everything the next morning had felt strangely therapeutic. Blaine didn't feel the need to tell the story more than once, as he so often did when it came to anything that involved Kurt lately. He didn't try to brainstorm ways to text or call Kurt and insert himself back into his life. Mike listened with rapt attention, offering another night of pizza, beer, and video games to get Blaine's mind off of things. Blaine politely declined the offer — his mind didn't need distracting. He was happy — not so much for himself, but for Kurt. Even if he was no longer a part of Kurt's orbit he could put his mind to rest knowing that Sue wasn't either.

Blaine delivered on his promise to Mercedes too, calling both her and Marley and giving them the explanations they deserved, making sure to apologize for lying to both of them for so long. They both brushed off Blaine's apologies, understanding the need for secrecy. They made plans to meet up once they were all back from the holiday break, Mercedes teasing that she'd wait until then to grill Blaine about all the dirtier details about his office affair.

Sunlight had begun to stream through Blaine's bedroom window, bathing his desk in a soft glow. He smiled as the sunshine warmed his skin, basking in the gold of the sun as he realized that, for the first time in weeks, he was seeing the world in color.

Blaine was snapped out of his bubble of warmth by a timid knock at his door.

"I think you have a visitor?" Mike said in confusion.

"I might have a visitor?"

"Look, I don't know what the deal is. He's in front of the building," Mike said with a shrug, going to his room and closing the door behind him before Blaine could question who the "He" outside of their building was.

Blaine grabbed his keys and coat and headed out of the apartment cautiously. He peeked out through a window in the first floor hallway — spotting a glimpse of a figure that looked to be pacing outside of the building. Blaine exited the building slowly, keeping the jagged edge of his apartment keys tight between his fingers as he scanned the street for his supposed visitor. He turned to his left and nearly yelped in surprise when he was met with a very frazzled, and yet still somehow incredibly beautiful, Kurt looking up at him in surprise.

"Blaine! I… hi," Kurt stammered out, his cheeks flushing as he took a step back, putting more distance between them.

"Hey," Blaine answered, not entirely confident that he wasn't trapped in a very vivid, very strange dream. "What're you doing here?"

"Jesus I'm so sorry, this must seem so creepy," Kurt apologized as he shook his head, burying his flushed face in his fingers for a moment before looking up at Blaine with a bit more composure. "I… wanted to come see you. But I forgot your apartment number, and I didn't know if I should text you and ask, because... I realized you might not want to see me," Kurt admitted in a whisper, eyes shyly falling to his crossed arms. "So I've just been standing here, over thinking," he said with a nervous laugh, his cheeks flushing once more.

"I always want to see you," Blaine confessed without hesitation, taking his hands out of his pockets and a hesitant step towards Kurt.

Kurt smiled, looking up at Blaine with glossy eyes. "How is it you always know exactly the right thing to say?"

Blaine shrugged bashfully. "It feels like lately I've been saying all the wrong things."

Kurt remained silent, biting his lip as he pondered his words carefully. "I was really, really mad at you for lying. I don't think I've been that mad about something in years."

"Kurt, I'm so sor—" Blaine began.

"No, let me finish," Kurt insisted, reaching out between them and taking Blaine's hand in his.

Just the mere surprise at the touch of Kurt's skin against his silenced Blaine, his eyes falling down to their locked hands. Even in the winter, Kurt's fingers were as warm and sure as Blaine had remembered.

"I thought I was going to dwell on my anger long enough to put everything about us behind me. But I got over it. I got over it faster than I've ever gotten over something, and all that was left was this ache where all the pieces of you used to be. All I wanted was to call you and tell you to come over and we could start over again — no secrets, no lies, just bare it all on the table and move forward. But… I didn't. Sue almost destroyed my friendship with Rachel, and I let it happen. I let her get into my head and force me to let down my best friend on the most important night of her life. My life is… was, completely controlled by Sue. She made me four hours late to our weekend away — even without knowing it she'd made me choose her over going to you. I couldn't handle the idea of bringing you back into my life, just to lose you because of her."

Kurt's throat became thick with tears, several sliding down his cheeks as he took a moment to collect his breath and compose himself once more. Blaine reached out to cup Kurt's cheek with his free hand, gently wiping away the tears with the pad of his thumb.

"So much of my life is a mess right now. I don't have a job, I'm barely on speaking terms with my best friend, and I might have just been black listed by Sue from ever working in theater ever again. I just… I really need some happiness in my life right now. Being with you made me the happiest I've felt in… I don't think I've ever been happier than when I was with you. So… god, I really should've rehearsed this…" he trailed off, Blaine feeling Kurt's cheeks warming beneath his fingertips.

"Are you finished?" Blaine asked with a teasing smile.

Kurt blushed once again, pulling his hand back to himself nervously before nodding. His eyes fell back to the ground once more, all the confidence he'd mustered up for his monologue now gone as he awaited Blaine's response.

Without a single doubt in his mind, Blaine closed the distance between himself and Kurt. He cupped Kurt's cheeks with both hands this time as he tilted his face up to meet his own and pressed their lips together — softly at first, but more firmly once Kurt relaxed against him. The kiss was short, chaster than most of their previous embraces had been. Blaine's palms fell from Kurt's cheeks to rest lightly on his shoulders, their faces still mere inches apart as he spoke up.

"The first moment I saw you I thought I had fallen in love with you because you were the most beautiful person I'd ever seen in my life. I was right, I most definitely was, and still am, completely in love with you. But not just because you're the most beautiful person that might exist in the world… you're so kind, and intelligent, and funny, and so, so, so talented. And now the world will finally get to see that too."

Tears now fell unabashedly down Kurt's cheeks, his body trembling as he struggled to fight back the urge to sob in unbridled joy.

"So, in case that wasn't abundantly clear. I love you. I'm very much in love with you. I'm sorry I didn't have the courage to say it when I first had the chance," Blaine finished with an enormous grin, making sure to wipe away every one of Kurt's tears.

"Have you ever considered a career in writing romance novels?" Kurt teased with a sniffled laugh before taking Blaine's hands in his once more. "I love you too. I love you so much."

When their lips met once more it was because they both leaned in to meet one another. It's somehow more passionate than the first kiss they shared at Scandals that summer — it's so intense it nearly knocked Blaine to his knees. His fingers gripped at Kurt's waist for balance as they kiss and kiss and kiss — making up for all of the time they had lost.

"Good work boys!" Mike called down to Kurt and Blaine from the window in his bedroom.

Kurt ducked his head shyly, giggling softly as Blaine waved off his nosy roommate. Mike gave Blaine an exaggerated wink before closing the window, Blaine turning his attention back to Kurt.

"Pardon me if this is a very high school question to ask, but, does this now make you my boyfriend?" he asked, biting his lips as it was his turn for his cheeks to flush rosy pink.

Kurt hummed as he playfully pretended to mull over the question at hand, giving in only when Blaine squeezed their interlocked fingers. "Yes, yes it does," he replied with a cheeky smile.

Satisfied with his answer, Blaine swiftly leaned in once more, capturing his boyfriend's lips. They smiled as their arms wound around one another, holding each other so close they could feel the rapid beating of each other's hearts through their coats and sweaters. Blaine's neighbors eyed the couple with interest as they navigated around them, not wanting to disturb the intimate moment. Blaine knew he could pull Kurt just a few feet into the building and kiss him in the warm, secluded hallway, but he couldn't bear to pull himself away from Kurt for more than a moment. And so they stood there and let the minutes go by, kissing long and short and sweet and tender, for once without a care about who saw.


End file.
